Harry Potter and the Ring of Erishans
by christhejediknight
Summary: Harry's 5th year at Hogwarts. Pairing: Harry and Hermione
1. The Dream of the Ring

  
Author's Notes: I do not own Harry Potter or anything in it. Too bad, I wish I did. If I did, I would be telling someone to type this for me. *smirks*

  
***Chapter 1***

For the first, and probably the only time, Harry was not being yelled at for having any sign of his "abnormality" out in the open. He sat there in the Dursley's living room, reading over the last few pages in his book _The Standard Book of Spells: Grade Four_ _by Miranda Goshawk_. If he would have tried to do this a few years ago, his aunt and uncle would have yelled at him until their voices went hoarse. Either that or he would have been locked in the small cupboard under the stairs. But now, Harry was a wizard. Not a full fledged one, but he was about to go into his 5th year at _Hogwarts: School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_, and his longing to go back to the big castle grew everyday.   
Harry was surprised, however, that Uncle Vernon hadn't yelled at him yet. The Dursley's were sitting on the other side of their living room, as far away from Harry as they possibly could be. Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and Dudley seemed very interested in watching the evening news, where a small weatherman was pointing at a map of England. Harry couldn't help notice Aunt Petunia looking back and forth from the television to himself. Whenever he looked over at them, all three of his relatives would look quickly away if they were looking at him. Dudley appeared to be very frightened every time Harry glanced over at him. He was probably afraid that Harry would make his tongue grow again, like Fred and George Weasley did "on accident" during the previous summer.  
As Harry read farther on in his book, he realized he needed to refer to another book to answer a question on his Charms homework from Professor Flitwick. His eyes scanned over the question a second time  
before he closed his spellbook and reached for another book that was much smaller, titled _Magical Rings, Amulets, and Other Items_. He almost dropped it when Uncle Vernon snorted loudly, obviously disturbed by Harry's casual display of his "abnormality." Turning quickly to page 135, Harry looked down at the small ring upon the paper page.  
The ring was magnificently beautiful, with one large blue sapphire on the top of the ring and diamonds encrusted in the side. Harry's eyes ran over the title of it. _The Ring of Erishans_. The small thing was probably the prettiest thing he had ever seen. Harry stopped on that thought. He had seen someone prettier, and he couldn't help thinking of her. Harry was so dazed, he didn't even notice Aunt Petunia shriek as Hedwig came flying through the open window.  
"Hedwig!" Harry cried out lightly as she soared across the room, landing on Harry's arm. A small letter landed softly on top of Harry's books. Aunt Petunia ran screaming from the room, Dudley only a feet  
behind her as he covered his fat bottom. As Harry watched them flee, he finally noticed that Uncle Vernon's face had not only swelled up, it was now becoming a dark purple color. Harry was almost knocked backward as Uncle Vernon's voice erupted with the force of an explosion.  
"Take your books and that ruddy owl out of this room now!" Uncle Vernon yelled loudly. It surprised and scared Harry so much that he gathered up his books and had them up in his room in under a minute. Hedwig fluttered across the room, setting down gently to take a nap. When Harry's eyes fell upon the small letter, his heart gave a jump. He hoped it would be from Sirius, his godfather, since he hadn't written to him all summer. Even if it wasn't from Sirius, he wouldn't mind it if the letter was from Hermione or Ron. He would especially like it if Hermione wrote to him, since she hadn't for almost two weeks now.  
As Harry slowly grasped the letter in his hands, he quickly slit the ink stamp, opening the envelope. Inside was a small letter, which Harry quickly unfolded to read.

_Dear Harry,_

I'm sorry I haven't written to you for a few weeks. While home for the summer holidays, my parents took me on vacation to Italy! It was so amazing! I learned so many new things that I know I can use in our upcoming year. They even have a wizarding shop in Rome. My parents bought me some really interesting books. But of course, I've already read them more than once by now ("Of course,"Harry said as he laughed to himself). Anyway, I have an important question for you. Seeing as there are four weeks left of the holidays after tomorrow, would you like to spend the first two weeks at my house before going to Ron's the last two weeks? Write back as soon as you can so my parents and I can pick you up as soon as possible tomorrow.  
Love, Hermione

Harry read over Hermione's letter two more times before finally setting it down on his dresser. After shutting the door to his bedroom carefully, Harry slowly walked down the stairs and entered the kitchen. Aunt Petunia was surprisingly already there, boiling some water on the stove to make a cup of tea for herself. She stared at him intently as he walked in. "You better not have that bloody owl with you," she said in an angry tone.  
Harry shook his head quickly. "I don't have her with me. She's in her cage, up in my room," he stated, watching her as his aunt paid little attention to him as she poured the hot water into a teacup. Ever so slowly, Aunt Petunia dipped a tea bag into the steaming water.  
"What do you want then?" she asked, obviously annoyed that he was still in the kitchen. Just as Harry was about to speak, Uncle Vernon trodded into the kitchen slowly. His face was still swollen from yelling at Harry earlier. When Harry looked back to Aunt Petunia, she looked very impatient and displeased.  
"A friend of mine, from my school (Uncle Vernon's face bulged slightly), has written a letter to me, asking if I would like to spend the rest of the summer holidays there, at my friend's house," Harry stated quickly. "Can I go?" he asked. Harry was almost sure that they would say no, when to his surprise, they burst into fits of laughter. In his opinion, they couldn't have been happier. Uncle Vernon was smiling the most that Harry had ever seen him smile.  
"Boy, I don't care where you go, as long as you're not here under our roof. You may go, assuming you can leave as soon as possible," Uncle Vernon said after regaining his breath from having a good laugh. Harry couldn't have been more delighted as he left the kitchen and jumped the stairs, taking three steps at a time. As soon as he entered his room and shut the door, Harry quickly crossed over to his desk, pulling out a bottle of ink, a quill, and some spare parchment. Dipping the quill into the murky ink, Harry began to write a letter back to Hermione.

_Dear Hermione,  
My aunt and uncle say I can come. Please, come and get me out of this dreadful place as soon as possible. It is a nightmare here. Keep Hedwig at your house. Send a letter to Ron to tell him I am coming to your house. See you tomorrow._

Harry slightly paused at the end of the letter before he signed it "Love, Harry." He almost felt embarrassed to write it and almost blotted it out, but Hedwig fluttered out of her cage and flopped down onto the desk in front of Harry. Sighing softly, Harry quickly put the letter into a small envelope and tied it onto Hedwig's leg. "Alright Hedwig, take this to Hermione. You might have some difficulty finding her house since you have only delivered one letter to her there, but please try," he said gently. After nibbling lightly on Harry's hand, Hedwig soured out of the window and off into the night.  
Harry watched her fly off until he couldn't see her anymore. Then he crossed over to his bed. It was getting late, and Harry was becoming tired. Looking at his desk, Harry closed the book of charmed items as he put his glasses down next to it. The last thing he saw was a picture of _The Ring of Erishans_ on the page. As he slowly got into bed and rested his head on the pillow, the image of the ring stuck in his mind as his vision was clouded by a strange mist. Suddenly, Harry was falling through the darkness, and before he knew it, he landed forcefully on a hard, stone floor.  
Four torches were lit above Harry on the four walls, casting light and creating ominous shadows in the corners of the room. Pain arched through Harry's legs as he stood up, holding onto the wall for support. Harry could faintly see a path to his right, but it was too dark to walk through. Seeing as he didn't have his wand, Harry grabbed one of the torches. The wood felt rough in his hand as he pulled it free from its holder. Harry then proceeded down the dark pathway, using the torch to light his way. So many questions ran through his mind as he began to walk up some stairs. The stone walls were moist with dew, and fresh mold grew in some areas against the wall. 'No one has been down here for a long time,' Harry thought to himself.  
After walking up the stairs for what felt like hours, Harry finally came to the top of a small landing. His legs ached with pain as he stumbled and almost fell into a small pool of water in the center of the new room. Harry quickly regained his balance just in time to see two robed people slowly walk into the room, carrying their own torches that lit up the whole room. Looking desperately for a hiding spot, Harry realized there was nowhere to go. He was sure he would get in trouble for this. Surprisingly, the two robed people walked up to him, past him, and over to a large cauldron on the other side of the small pool of water. They didn't even notice him, and Harry was sure one of them walked partially through him. It was just like previous times that he had experienced. They couldn't see him, just like Tom Riddle and many other wizards couldn't. Harry quickly turned his attention back to the two robed people by the cauldron as they began to speak.  
"Hm, all of the ingredients are complete. Go get the phoenixes, Helga," said the first wizard, who was a man. The other was a witch. Slowly, the witch named "Helga", left the room, returning a few moments later with two small phoenixes perched on her arm. As she brought them over to the wizard, he quickly pulled his wand out of his pocket and aimed it at the wood underneath the large cauldron. "Incendio!" he yelled out. Flames shot from the end of his wand and fell upon the wood, lighting all of the wood on fire.  
Seeing as they couldn't see him, Harry walked up to the cauldron, looking down into it. A purple substance that was very thick was boiling and bubbling. Just then, the wizard slowly pulled a regular gold ring off of his hand dropping it into the murky liquid. The purple liquid sizzled as the ring sank underneath the surface. "The phoenix tears, please," he said softly. Helga jerked slightly, almost dropping the magnificent birds. It seemed that she was trying to fight something. "No you don't! No one fights back against Salazar Slytherin. Imperio!" the wizard yelled. He had pointed his wand and cast the Imperius curse on Helga again. She immediately fell back under the spell, pulling out a small knife. Turning her hand, she gut a deep gash in her arm. The blood flowed over her hot flesh, dripping to the floor.  
The phoenixes instantly reacted, bending over the wound and began to cry, their tears falling onto the wound, already healing it. Salazar pointed his wand at the falling tears. "Accio," he said quickly. Two tears were instantly caught. As they floated over to him, Slytherin stopped them just over the cauldron, breaking the spell. The two tears fell into the purple water, making it sizzle and turn a deep, sapphire blue color. Harry watched with extreme curiosity. He wanted to yell at Slytherin. Curse him, or just do something to stop him. Unfortunately, he couldn't. He watched Salazar Slytherin walk away from the cauldron and over to a small oak desk that Harry hadn't seen in the room. It was over in a dark corner. Salazar's hand grasped a drawer's handle, pulling it open, revealing a silver orb that glowed brightly. He hastily pulled it from the desk and crossed back over to the cauldron. "Finally, I will have the power," Slytherin whispered as he slipped it into the cauldron.  
At first, nothing happened. The blue water stayed the same, bubbling from the flames beneath. Harry grew anxious, wondering what would happen, but at the same time, he was afraid. Harry began to walk backwards slowly, easing away from the cauldron, when he suddenly stopped unexpectedly. He could hear that the liquid wasn't boiling anymore. The room was deadly quite. The silence was finally shattered as the cauldron erupted into a pillar of light. It was so bright, Harry was almost blinded. A loud explosion shook the chamber, sending Harry flying across the room and into the wall. Magical wind whipped around the large room, holding Harry against the wall. The wind was so strong that Harry couldn't even move. His eyes were still fixed upon Salazar Slytherin, despite the bright light. Slytherin had his wand out again, and Harry could see he was struggling against the wind as he pointed it at the cauldron. "Impedimenta!" he yelled. Harry knew that moment what that spell was. It was a curse to slow something down or completely stop what the spell is cast on.  
It was like the world was frozen in time. The wind stopped, dropping Harry to the floor. The light erupting from the cauldron was stuck in an odd position. Harry tried to stand up, but his muscles in his legs were too numb to let him move them. Using his arms, Harry quickly pushed himself up into a sitting position, his back against the stone wall. His eyes once again fell upon Salazar Slytherin and the cauldron. Harry was quite surprised to see water slowly rising in the pillar of light, despite the spell. A small golden ring was being held up by the water. Harry's throat tightened, and he almost stopped breathing. He knew what the ring was.  
" The Ring of Erishans," Salazar Slytherin said slowly as he greedily grabbed it out of the light. Harry would have wanted to stop him, but he didn't know what the ring was used for. He knew it wasn't used for something good. Just that thought alone made him feel hateful towards Salazar Slytherin. Just when Harry thought Slytherin was getting his way, the unexpected happened.  
"It's over, Salazar. Once Godric and Rowena hear of this, you'll be through. First you say you made a Chamber of Secrets, and now you've gone against the Law of Wizardry, using a Forbidden Curse and creating a ring with magical powers. I can't wait to hand you and the evidence the convict you over to Godric Gryffindor," helga slowly said, enjoying the satisfaction of breaking his spell and catching him off guard. Helga Hufflepuff had her wand pointed straight at Slytherin. He stared at her, his eyes boring into her with anger beyond hatred. His hands were quickly turning white from gripping the ring so hard.  
"Expelliarmus!" Helga Hufflepuff yelled, pointing her wand at his hand. Harry watched the spell hit Slytherin, blasting him across the room and into the far stone wall with a sickening crunch. The ring fell from his hand, and Salazar watched it as it slowly rolled a few feet away from him, falling down a drain.  
"No! How could you?" Slytherin yelled. Standing up quickly, a look of extreme pain on his face, Salazar pointed his wand at Helga Hufflepuff and shouted the only curse that couldn't be blocked. "Avada Kedavra!" he roared. A blast of green light burst from his wand. As Helga Hufflepuff's lifeless body fell to the floor, Harry's scar burned with immense pain. Then, as fast as he had come, Harry was quickly sucked out, falling back onto his bed in his room on Number 4, Privet Drive. He quickly sat up, suddenly waking up from a deep sleep. Harry realized he was sweating lightly, feeling his damp skin. As Harry slowly stood up, his legs no longer hurting, he began to wonder if it was just a dream.  
Turning, Harry looked out the window. The sun was slowly beginning to rise in the East. Harry yawned slowly, stretching his arms. His Aunt Petunia would be up within the next hour or two. As Harry slowly got back into his bed, all thoughts of his dream left his mind as he slowly fell back asleep. 


	2. Hermione's House

Authors's Notes: Finally, Chapter 2. Hopefully it doesn't get messed up.

***Chapter 2: Hermione's House***  


  
Dawn finally came on Saturday morning. The sun's light began to stretch out over the Dursley home, along with the rest of the neighborhood. Harry awoke once the sunlight entered his room. He had wanted to get up early so that he would have plenty of time to get ready for when Hermione was to come pick him up. Excitement had overcome him. The thought of spending the last month away from the Dursley's was wonderful.

Harry looked at his clock as he quickly got out of bed. It was almost lunchtime, surprisingly. The rest of his "family" would be up already. Harry was quite surprised that his Aunt Petunia or his cousin Dudley hadn't banged on his door several times to wake him up. With a content sigh, Harry grabbed his crumpled bath towel that was at the foot of his bed. He quickly swung it onto his shoulder and left his room. Harry intended on taking a nice warm shower. He felt quite relieved when he reached the bathroom without encountering Dudley or his aunt or uncle. Harry secured the bathroom door by locking it, and proceeded to take his shower, coming out about 15 minutes later, all dressed and dry.

The first thing that Harry noticed was the awkward silence. Dudley's television set wasn't blaring loud. Aunt Petunia couldn't be heard making food in the kitchen. Plus, the Dursley's had never let him take that long of a shower before. Giving in to his suspicion, Harry searched the house, covering both floors. None of his relatives were home. He wasn't surprised at all as he walked into the kitchen. The Dursley's had left without informing him. Harry didn't think they could sink any lower, but he was obviously proven wrong. 

As he entered the kitchen, his stomach had begun to growl. Harry quickly decided to eat something for breakfast. As he wrapped his hand around the refrigerator handle, Harry saw the yellow note sitting on the counter next to the stove. Reaching with his right hand, Harry grabbed the note and brought it closer to his face to read. He read the following:

Harry,  
  
We have gone to London for the day.  
Your aunt and I expect you to be gone  
by tonight when we return home. The  
house better be in one piece, or you  
will regret it next summer.  
Uncle Vernon

Harry crumpled the note and deposited it in the trash as he opened the refrigerator. Driven by hunger, Harry quickly made a turkey sandwich and had eaten it before 1:00 P.M. After he ate his lunch, Harry had gone into the living room to watch the television set. He flipped through channel after channel, watching many different shows. It seemed like hours to him, but once Harry looked at the clock above the Dursley fireplace, it was only 3:30. Harry let out a depressed sigh. "Where are you, Hermione?" he asked himself. He desperately wanted to leave the Dursley's, but he also wanted to see be able to sit down with Hermione, just to see her again, standing before him. He wanted to see her with her long brown, bushy hair and her hazel eyes looking back at him.

Harry had just turned back to the television when a knock sounded at the door of the Dursley's home. His heart jumped to his throat. Harry sprung up from his chair and ran to the door as fast as his legs could carry him. The door handle twisted in his hand as he pulled it open. There she stood. Hermione Granger stood before him in the doorway. Her hair had grown a bit longer, and it was surprisingly straighter and curlier. It was no longer bushy. He stared into her hazel eyes. "Hello Harry," she said slowly. She smiled as he smiled back at her.

"Hermione, how are you?" he asked, overcome with joy. Hermione smiled as she ran forward and threw herself into his arms, giving him a great big hug. Harry grinned as hugged her back. "How did you know where I lived, Hermione? I thought you would have asked the Weasley's to help you out with the Floo Powder connection," Harry said as he reluctantly let go of her. Hermione stepped backward one step, before Harry gave her room to walk into the hallway.

"Well Harry, seeing as my parents are dentists, I checked their child dental records. It seems that your cousin Dudley went to my parents for dental care when he was younger. The address was on the paper, so that is how we decided to come get you," Hermione explained thoroughly. Harry smiled, and then paused.

"Wait. What do you mean 'we'?" Harry asked.

"My parents and I. They're outside, waiting in the car. I said I was going to come in an help you get your things, and that they could wait in the car," Hermione said. Harry smiled lightly and then turned to walk towards the stairs, motioning for Hermione to follow. They both proceeded up the stairs. Harry then opened the door to his small room, letting Hermione walk in. "You really weren't kidding when you said you have a cramped room," she said lightly as Harry stuffed a few last things into his trunk. Stepping past him, Hermione approached Harry's desk, grabbing Hedwig's cage. It was in that moment that Harry noticed that she was taller, and that she was beginning to grow into a young woman. She was surprisingly only a few inches shorter than himself. Hermione's eyes then met Harry's. "Do you have everything?" she asked.

Harry smiled and nodded his head as he picked up his trunk into his arms. It was a lot heavier than he thought it was. Harry and Hermione then carefully walked down the stairs, not wanting Harry to drop his trunk. He almost dropped it when they reached the front door as Harry tried to lock it. Thankfully, Hermione came to his rescue, locking the door. Her hand had lightly brushed against his, almost causing him to drop the trunk again. Within minutes, the front door was shut and locked, and Hermione and Harry were standing close to the car. Mr. and Mrs. Granger stood next to each other, smiling brightly as Harry and Hermione walked over to them.

"Harry, it is so nice to see you again," Mr. And Mrs. Granger said simultaneously. Harry greeted them both back as Mr. Granger carefully putt Harry's trunk and bird cage in the trunk of their car. As Harry and Hermione opened their car doors and sat in the back seat, Mrs. Granger turned around and looked at them both and said, "I hope you don't mind a long drive, Harry. The traffic coming through London this morning was horrible." She then turned back around, facing the windshield.

"I don't mind, Mrs. Granger. It will give Hermione and I time to catch up," he said back as he put his seat belt on. Harry liked their car very much. It was quite spacious and the paint on the outside was scarlet and gold. Gryffindor colors. It reminded Harry of how much he missed the castle at Hogwarts. Harry glanced over at Hermione, who was pushing a small button, causing a glass window to slide up in between the front and back seat area. It was just like the window in limousines, except bigger.

"I thought I would do that so we would have more freedom to talk instead of having awkward silence with them listening. I'm really glad you could come stay, Harry. We're going to have so much fun," Hermione said. Harry smiled at Hermione, and she smiled back. "By the way, Harry. Hedwig not only arrived with your answer back to me last night, but she came with our lists of books and supplies for our upcoming year. Here is yours," she said, handing him a small brown envelope.

"Thanks, Hermione," Harry said. His hand lightly brushed hers as he took the envelope. He carefully tore it open, pulling the parchment out. It seemed that Hermione had also had hers with her, since she unfolded hers after she pulled it from her pocket. Harry's emerald eyes scanned over the paper, reading the following:

Dear Mr. Potter,  
  


    For your Fifth year at Hogwarts, you will need new supplies. Enclosed is a list of the new books and materials you will need. Also, seeing as Oliver Wood graduated year before last, you will need to meet with the rest of your Quidditch team to decide on new Quidditch players and a new Quidditch captain for Gryffindor.
Sincerely,  
Professor Minerva McGonagall

"Who do you think will get to be the Quidditch captain, Harry?" Hermione asked. She had obviously read the letter over his shoulder. Harry shrugged slowly. "Well, I hope it's you," she then stated. Harry felt his face turn red.

"Why? Why do you hope I become Quidditch captain?" Harry asked. He looked over at her. For once, Hermione looked like she was lost for words. Hermione was, in fact, speechless. Harry thought he saw her face turn a little red as she looked out the window. Harry watched as they turned off of Privet Drive, and with one last look at the Dursley's home, Harry turned back to Hermione. She was now looking back at him with her hazel brown eyes.

"I meant that you are a good Quidditch player, Harry. You know you are. You always win every match for Gryffindor, and the only time you lost was because of those dementors. Don't deny it. Harry, you should be Gryffindor's new Quidditch captain. You deserve it," she explained. Harry smiled lightly as Hermione took his list of new materials he needed. Before she could look at it, Harry quickly grabbed it back. "Harry! Why can't I read it?" Hermione cried. Harry grinned as he looked at her beautifully stunned face.

" I wrote to Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore earlier this summer. I had a special request. I wanted to drop Divination ("Who wouldn't?" Hermione remarked.) and pick up a different class. Unfortunately, I was put in the advanced class that you would only take if you had taken the first year of it. So I will have to learn everything from the beginning up to this second year. Luckily, I get an excellent tutor to help me catch up," Harry said as he smiled at her. Hermione eagerly snatched the paper and read the attached note that confirmed what she was thinking.

"Harry! You're going to take Arithmancy with me!" Hermione cried. He was quite surprised when Hermione threw her arms around his neck, hugging him once again. "It's going to be so much fun. In the next four weeks before returning to school, I can catch you up on the first year of Arithmancy. I just hope Ron will be able to catch up too," Hermione said. Harry paused as he digested what she said.

"What are you talking about, Hermione? I thought Ron signed up for Divination last year?" Harry asked.

"He did. Let me ask you something. Did you write to him and tell him that you were switching classes?" Hermione asked. Harry nodded, then began to laugh. Hermione grinned, watching him double over with laughter. "Then he must have wanted to switch also. No wonder he didn't ask for me to help him. You had already asked Dumbledore. That's why he asked if I knew anyone else in my class who could tutor him instead," Hermione explained.

After finally composing himself after laughing, Harry looked to Hermione. "He must have been very disappointed. You are the smartest in the school," he said, causing Hermione's face to flush slightly red.

"You are smart too, Harry," she whispered gently.

"Not as smart as you," Harry said back. Hermione smiled gently before she began to read her own list of supplies.

Hermione and Harry continued to talk about many things. Hermione even went into exact details about her trip to Italy, unfortunately for Harry, but he listened with interest. According to Hermione, the streets of Rome that were filled with water were created by witches and wizards. They had used magic to carve the canals before letting the water flow from the ocean and into the paths. That part fascinated Hermione, because she wanted to know what spell they used to do it, since the incantation was not written in the records she had observed.

They then proceeded to talk about their upcoming year. Whenever they started to talk about Quidditch, Harry felt slightly depressed. He wasn't depressed about playing it. He was depressed because of the memory of the person who died last year that played Quidditch. At the end of term last year, Cedric Diggory and Harry had grabbed the TriWizard Cup at the same time during the Third Task. Unfortunately, the cup had been turned into a Portkey, which teleported Cedric and Harry directly to Voldemort's supporters. Cedric was then killed. Harry would have died, but he barely escaped with his life and Cedric's body. Harry was still alive, yes, but Voldemort was once again alive. That thought alone had replaced his fear of dementors. Harry has just begun to think about the dark hooded dementors when Hermione's voice interrupted him. "Harry? Are you alright?" Hermione asked.

Harry blinked quickly as he left his thoughts and focused back on Hermione. "I'm alright, Hermione," Harry said. Despite what Harry had said, Hermione suspected he wasn't okay. Although she wanted to make him feel better, she decided not to pry.

**********************************************************

Day had soon turned into night, and the Grangers and Harry were still driving. They had, however, stopped in London for dinner, since they were all getting hungry. According to Mr. Granger, they were not too far from Hermione's home. Harry glanced over at Hermione. Her head was leaning against the window on her side of the car. Reaching carefully so he wouldn't wake her, Harry slowly slid a small pillow that was in the car under her head to let her rest easier. Mrs. Granger smiled as she watched this without Harry knowing. She then turned to her husband and whispered so only he could hear, hopefully. "Now I know why our daughter talks about him so much. He cares for her so much. She is very lucky to have a such a great friend. I know he seems happy, but he must be so traumatized from what Hermione told us happened to him last year at that school," she said softly. Her husband nodded in silent agreement.

"Finally. We are home," Mr. Granger said a few moments later. The car slowly pulled into the driveway of an elegant two story home. From what Harry could tell, it was made out of brick, and it looked a lot better than the Dursley's home, seeing as it was also a lot bigger. Seeing as everyone was tired, Harry carried Hermione to her bedroom and put her in bed as Mr. Granger carried harry's trunk into the guest bedroom across the hall from Hermione's room. After tucking Hermione in, Harry slowly walked into the guest room. Mrs. Granger was pulling down the bed sheets for Harry. "Thank you, Harry, for carrying Hermione to her room for me," Mr. Granger said softly, patting him on the shoulder.

Harry blushed lightly. "You are welcome, Mr. Granger. It was nothing," he said. Mr. Granger then left the room after saying goodnight to Harry. Mrs. Granger then followed suit, stopping to give him a big hug before exiting the guest room. After shutting the door behind them, Harry crossed to the other side of the large room and looked out the window. It was completely dark outside, and the moon shined bright above. The porch lights below were on, casting light on the front yard of the Granger household. 

Harry couldn't wait to be given a full tour of the house and neighborhood by Hermione the next day. He then glanced back at the window. Harry was almost relieved, and yet surprised, that no Death Eater or even Voldemort himself had tried to attack him all summer. Slowly, Harry turned around and looked at the rest of the guest room. The white color of the walls and the royal blue carpet clashed well together and it made Harry relax. Yawning, he then walked over to his trunk, pulling out a pair of boxers shorts and a t-shirt. Within minutes, Harry had changed and crawled quickly into bed before he got too cold from being out in the air. He then reached up his left arm and turned off the bedroom light.

The room went dark. The only thing that partially added light was the moon outside in the night sky. Harry yawned again slowly. 'So Mr. And Mrs. Granger know,' Harry thought to himself, 'because Hermione told them. That's why she was acting so cheerful today.' She didn't want to upset or get Harry depressed by thinking of Voldemort and Cedric's death. Currently, Harry wasn't depressed. He was filled with happiness that he was around his friend once again. 'To be truthful, the beginning of the summer was the only time I was feeling horrible and scared, because of the nightmares,' Harry thought again to himself. With a small sigh, Harry pulled his covers and blankets up closer around himself. He instantly began to get warmer. Just before he fell asleep, he began to think of Hermione, and how good it felt to see her again. Harry smiled as he rolled over on to his side, letting sleep claim him. 


	3. P is for Prefect

Disclaimer: Sorry I took so long with this Chapter. It's a long story. I don't own anything having to deal with Harry Potter, unfortunately.

****

*Chapter 3: P is for Prefect

Hermione was very surprised on Sunday morning when she woke up to find Harry helping her mother make breakfast in the kitchen. There were pancakes, hash browns, muffins, and waffles piled high on four plates in the middle of the kitchen table. "Come get some breakfast, dear," Mrs. Granger said to her daughter as she put down a few bottles of syrup and jam on the table. Hermione smiled as she sat down next to Harry. Mr. Granger was already seated, putting two pancakes and a muffin down on his plate. Harry passed Hermione the plate of waffles just as Mrs. Granger sat down with a plate of bacon. "Thank you so much for helping, Harry," Mrs. Granger said quickly.

Harry smiled lightly. "You're welcome," he said back.

"What did you help make?" Hermione asked quickly as she grabbed a piece of bacon, chewing on it as she slid it into her mouth.

" I helped your Mom make the bacon and the waffles," Harry said after taking a drink from his glass of milk. Hermione smiled as she took another piece of bacon from the plate. Within a half an hour, every plate had been cleared and put in the dishwasher to be rinsed and washed. Mr. Granger had moaned his satisfaction towards the food before retiring to his den to read the morning paper. Mrs. Granger proceeded upstairs to shower, intending on going to do the grocery shopping later in the afternoon. This left Harry and Hermione by themselves, wondering what to do.

"Would you like to go into the backyard? We have a pool, but the water is too cold to swim today. However, I can show you the fountain we have and I could take you up to the woods. Once we're there, I can show you my secret spot, where I go when I am troubled," Hermione stated.

"Alright," Harry said, "let's go." After Harry and Hermione both changed out of their pajamas and into regular clothes, they made their way into the backyard, walking around the various trees, stopping by the water fountain near the back gate. They stood next to each other, watching the water flow, not speaking. Harry broke the silence, splashing a bit of water at Hermione. She laughed lightly, splashing back. Before the water fight became a war, they luckily came to a truce before they were to soak each other.

"Come on, Harry," Hermione said as she linked her arm with his, "Let's go up to the woods." After sliding the bolt on the wooden gate and opening it, Harry and Hermione proceeded up a small dirt path. Harry could see the woods off in the distance.

"I'm really surprised that you live out here in the country, seeing as your parents are dentists that work in the city," Harry said gently. "Did you ever tell your parents about letting Madam Pomfrey shrinking your teeth last year?" Harry asked.

Hermione smiled and laughed lightly, before lowering her voice, seeing as they were too not far from her house. "Please do not say anything. I have not told them, and I'm surprised they haven't noticed yet," Hermione whispered. Harry chuckled lightly as they continued up the dirt path, passing between a few trees. They were beginning to get close to the forest that Hermione was leading them to.

Before coming to the forest, Harry and Hermione passed through a small flower field, petals flying through the air as the wind passed by. "This is one of my favorite places. It is so beautiful here. The petals taking flight with every breeze makes it seem so magical here," Hermione explained to Harry as she danced around lightly, petals falling down among them. Harry laughed lightly as a large petal lightly hit Hermione's nose. She glared at him lightly, but then laughed with him.

After enjoying the scent and sight of the flowers, Hermione led Harry to the edge of the forest. With his help, she climbed up over a large pile of logs to get into a large tree. Harry soon followed her, having trouble with the logs, almost falling. Once getting into the tree, they continued to climb up and down through many trees, moving in between many branches. "Hermione? What is the point of going this way? Wouldn't the dirt path be better?" Harry asked.

"It's the only way to get to the secret spot," she answered back as she stepped forward on to a thin branch.

"Hermione! Get off of that branch, now!" Harry yelled.

"Whatever for, Harry?" she asked, just before the branch snapped.

Harry wasn't even really conscious of what happened next. With surprising speed and agility, Harry had suddenly thrown himself on to the attached part of the branch Hermione had been standing on. He was almost pulled off of the branch as Hermione's hands grabbed hold of Harry's hands. "Hold on, Hermione!" Harry cried out as he pulled with all of his might, his legs locking around smaller branches to help pull. Within a few moments, Harry had pulled Hermione up on to the branch successfully in one piece.

"That was close," Hermione whispered lightly as she looked at how far the snapped branch had fallen. "Surprisingly, this tree is quite tall," she said. Harry nodded as he looked down too. It must have been a 20-foot drop. Had he not saved her, Hermione could have been seriously injured. He took in a deep breath as he relaxed lightly. Hermione did the same.

"Are you alright?" Harry asked her quickly as he touched her hand with his, using his other hand to hold tightly onto the branch.

"I'm fine, Harry. Thank you. I am just slightly shaken up. Maybe we should get down from the trees as fast as possible. The secret spot is just up ahead. I just know that you will love it," Hermione said slowly. Harry nodded his agreement as he helped Hermione climb to the next tree, going to lower branches. Soon they came to a small hillside that came right up to the side of the tree. "This way," Hermione said before she stepped onto the grassy hill. She then sat down on it, and slid to the bottom. Harry smiled as he did the same, coming to the bottom of the hill to stand up next to Hermione.

Before Harry and Hermione was a beautiful site. Hermione had led him to a small lake in the woods, with tall willow trees all around and many patches of tall grasses spotting the ground. The place was so alive and yet so magical. Harry took everything before him in before looking at Hermione. She smiled when he looked upon her face. "Come on," Harry said quickly as he began to walk towards the small lake. Within moments, he had passed through the tall grass and had come upon a large willow tree that rested at the water's edge. When Harry turned to look for Hermione, he saw her already climbing up into the willow tree. "Are you really sure we should be climbing up into this tree," Harry began to ask, "when we just got through with almost having an accident in one?"

Hermione laughed. "This tree is much older and much sturdier," she said as Harry grabbed onto a branch, climbing up to sit next to her on a large branch that hung over the water of the lake. Hermione smiled as she looked out at the water, watching birds fly by with songs in their souls. She watched them fly low by the water and splash the water about.

"I used to come here when I was little. I found this place when I tried to run away from home once when I was really sad because my Grandmother had died. Every time I come here, I feel happy about it, because this place makes me feel like she is still alive, her spirit resting here," Hermione explained slowly, pausing a few times in between words. Harry listened to her intently, watching her face as she spoke. He thought he saw her eyes water for a moment, but he wasn't sure. The next moment, her eyes were normal. As Hermione turned to look at him, he briefly looked away, his gaze locking on to a large, dead tree. There were no leaves upon it, thus it being dead, and it looked as if it had been dead for quite sometime. 

"Hermione, what happened to that tree over there?" Harry asked as he continued to look at the tree. Hermione's eyes followed his. 

"Oh, that tree. I don't know what happened to it, to be honest. Do you see that large crack down the middle? I think lightning caused it. Then again, it could have just died naturally," Hermione said slowly. For some strange reason, the tree looked oddly familiar to Harry. He just continued to stare at it as Hermione watched his face, his eyes.

"Harry, are you alright?" Hermione asked as she looked at his face once more.

"I'm fine, Hermione," he answered seconds later.

"You don't look fine, Harry. Please don't lie to me. It hurts me to look into your eyes, and see the pain that you are hiding from me and Ron and everyone else. Just please tell me what is wrong, and I can help you," Hermione said slowly, every word coming from her heart. Harry looked back into her eyes. He almost released all of his tension, hurt, and anger at her, but he held back so he wouldn't overwhelm her with his pain. He didn't want to hurt her. Harry wanted her to be happy.

"Everything is wrong, Hermione. Everything is just too much. How would you feel, growing up with no parents because a murderous wizard killed them and still wants to kill you, and that you yourself will cause the death of many more people? Voldemort couldn't harm me, but my blood has now helped create him and bring him back to power, giving him his life back. Because of me, Voldemort is back alive," Harry explained slowly, holding back many emotions. "Many more people are going to die because of me." Hermione sat there next to him, astonished, speechless, and afraid all at the same time.

"What happened was not your fault, Harry. Cedric's death was and is still not your fault. You just can not blame yourself for what happened last year, and if you do, you are not as smart as I thought you were," Hermione whispered to him. Just as Hermione got ready to climb down from the branch, Harry grabbed her hand and stopped her from dropping down.

" I try not to blame myself. I really do, but it is just so hard to not blame myself when Cedric died because I suggested we both grab the TriWizard Cup at the same time, and now, many more people will die," he explained. Hermione looked into his eyes.

"I know it is hard for you, Harry, but please try not to blame yourself. For me, and for Ron," Hermione said gently as she climbed down from the branch and dropped to the ground below. Harry watched her go down, and then the old tree attracted his attention once again. Staring at the tree, Harry suddenly remembered why it seemed so familiar. He had seen a tree almost identical to it in the graveyard where Voldemort had been brought back to his full strength. As Harry began to stare at the old tree, pain beyond anything he had ever felt before began to burn his scar that was upon his forehead.

Harry grabbed his forehead with his hands, letting go of the tree branch he was sitting upon. Then, as he began to fall, everything slowed down, and for an unknown reason to Harry, he could hear Voldemort speaking in his mind. "Bow to death, Harry," the voice said. He began to lose consciousness as his body continued to fall. "And now---we duel," the voice said again. Harry finally hit the water of the lake, and as he sank beneath the surface, Harry heard Voldemort's voice one more time. "Stand aside! I will kill him! He is mine!" Voldemort's voice screamed as Harry began to black out. Just before he lost consciousness, he could barely hear Hermione screaming his name.

************

It felt like eternity before Harry finally came around. The first thing he saw was Hermione and Mrs. Granger leaning over him, talking quietly amongst themselves. "You took a big risk leaving him there, Hermione," Mrs. Granger whispered gently. Harry's eyes were barely open, but he could see that Hermione was greatly worried about him. 

"I know, Mum, but I had too. He is taller than I am, and Harry is much stronger than I am. I was surprised I got him out of the water. I really thought he drowned, but after a minute of performing CPR, he began to breathe again," Hermione explained as she pulled the towel around herself tighter, trying to get dry. Mrs. Granger left the side of the bed, crossing over to a small rocking chair that was by the window. Upon it were several towels. Mrs. Granger bent over slowly, getting another white towel, handing it to Hermione as she returned to the bedside.

"Though it was very dangerous to leave him there, Hermione, you did do the right thing by coming to get your father and I. Why did he fall, exactly?" " Mrs. Granger asked.

Hermione blinked lightly as she rubbed her hair with the towel her mother gave her before wrapping it around her shoulders. "I am really not certain, but, I think it was his scar," Hermione said gently.

"His scar? Why would that hurt, and why would it cause him to fall from the tree?" Mrs. Granger asked. She seemed quite surprised by her daughter's statements.

"Mum, I told you how he got it. Harry has told me before that it hurts when…" Hermione began to explain before Harry groaned lightly as he fully opened his eyes. His scar throbbed with a small amount of pain as he tried to sit up. Reluctantly, Hermione and her mother let him sit up.

"How did I get back here?" Harry asked slowly, his voice wavering.

"I pulled you out of the water, surprisingly. You weren't breathing, and I was really frightened, so I tried performing CPR, and luckily you started to breathe again. Although I felt really bad about leaving you there on the grass, I had to run back here for help. I got my Dad, and he helped carry you back. That's what happened," Hermione explained quickly, talking very fast to avoid confrontation about her giving CPR to Harry. She wanted to avoid talking about having to practically kiss Harry to get him to breathe. She merely blushed at the thought. To her astonishment, Harry began to laugh lightly. "What do you find so funny?" Hermione asked.

Harry continued to laugh. "Thanks for just leaving me there, Hermione, where a wild animal could have attacked me or killed me," Harry joked.

"I had to! I can't carry you. I had not other…choice," Hermione said, stretching it out at the end as her own mother laughed as well. "Oh! You are both insufferable!" Hermione cried.

"Hermione, dear, please calm down. Harry was just kidding," Mrs. Granger said as she walked around the bed to Hermione's side. Mrs. Granger then spoke softly to her daughter as she put her hand upon Hermione's left shoulder. "I'm going to go scrounge up some lunch for everyone. We will talk later," she said. After speaking to Hermione, Mrs. Granger left the room swiftly. Harry could hear her go down the stairs. As he looked at the door, Hermione came into his line of sight.

"You're wet," he said softly.

"Well, I did jump into the lake and pull you out," Hermione said.

"I know. I just figured you would have dried off by now. How long have I been unconscious?" Harry asked.

Hermione blinked lightly as she sat in the edge of the bed near Harry's left hand. "A little more than an hour. I'm still wet because on the way back, it started to rain. Luckily my father got you inside before it began. I, however, got wet," Hermione said. Harry turned his head and looked outside. It was indeed raining. The pavement all around the neighborhood was damp from the rain, from what Harry could see. "Harry, can you please tell me what happened? Why did you fall from the tree?" Hermione asked slowly.

Harry looked back to her. He was very hesitant about telling her because he didn't want to see her share his pain. "It was your scar, wasn't it, Harry?" Hermione asked, looking at him curiously.

Harry nodded his head. "It was," he said as he looked away briefly. Hermione continued to watch him.

"Why?" Hermione asked.

Harry paused before answering. "That old tree, I have seen one like it before. I saw a tree that looked exactly like it the night Voldemort was restored to his body in the graveyard. The moment I realized it, my scar burned and I could here Voldemort's voice from that night. His anger from that night made my scar burn," Harry explained. Hermione sighed softly as she got up from sitting on the bed and crossed over to the large windows. With a quick twist of her hand as she grabbed the window locks, the window slid open, letting the cool evening breeze in. Harry smiled lightly as he sighed softly, relaxing.

"If we go back there before we go to stay at Ron's, you and I could use some type of burning spell to destroy that tree. Maybe I could look in some of my books that I bought in Italy. I could look for a spell to transfigure trees, or…" Hermione said before Harry interrupted quite suddenly.

"Hermione, it is alright. We will figure out something, so please calm down," Harry said. Hermione looked at him with a reassuring look before glancing back out the window. Something seemed to catch her interest for Hermione stared intently at whatever it was. "What is it, Hermione?" Harry asked.

"Something is coming this way," Hermione said just before four owls came soaring through the open window, startling Hermione and waking Hedwig from her sleep in her open cage. Three of the owls dropped packages down to Harry, while the fourth owl dropped a small letter. Harry recognized Pigwidgeon, Ron's owl, as it hooted loudly and flew quickly out the window. The others followed, soaring off into the rain. When Harry looked back at Hermione, she had a package in her hands, and she slowly put it down on top of the others. "Happy Birthday, Harry," Hermione said.

Harry was quite surprised. He had been so worried about leaving the Dursley's and getting to Hermione's house, he had forgotten that today was his birthday. He had been 15 years old for almost a whole day. Harry smiled lightly as Hermione brought the presents and the letter closer to him, within his reach.

"Open them," Hermione said as she sat on the edge of the bed next to Harry. Harry then reached forward and grabbed the small package that looked like a gift from Ron and his family. Indeed it was. Inside the box, Harry picked up two tickets, a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, and a bunch of Chocolate Frog packages. Attached to the two tickets was a small note. Harry read it aloud so Hermione could hear.

Dear Harry,

Happy Birthday! I hope you like the gifts we sent. Mum insisted on baking a cake for you. It is also in the box.She is nuts, I tell you. You're probably wondering what the two tickets are for. One is for you; the other is for Hermione. The tickets are to a Wizard's Duel tournament in the second to last week before school starts again. Percy got the whole family tickets to go and watch. Dad even said that some of the Hogwart's professors would be competing. Hopefully Snape is in it, so someone else could kick his ruddy (Hermione greatly disapproved of the next few words that Ron wrote). I can't wait to see you and Hermione in two weeks. Maybe we can meet up at Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade some day before then.

Ron

"Wow, a real wizard's duel between some of our professors and other adult wizards. Fascinating!" Hermione exclaimed.

"How do you see it to be so fascinating? What I mean is, it will be exciting, but Voldemort is alive again. The Ministry of Magic should be trying to combat him, not hold a tournament to possibly make the number of his opponents less, since you can die in a duel," Harry explained thoroughly.

"I agree, Harry, but with Cornelius Fudge not believing that Voldemort is alive, he won't be worrying about the tournament," Hermione said.

Harry nodded his head as he grabbed Hermione's present. He quickly opened the box, surprised to see several items inside. There were two thick books and two small bottles, one glowing blue, the other glowing silver. "What are they?" Harry asked.

Hermione beamed as she opened her mouth to speak. "The blue bottle is a special oil that you use to polish your broomstick. It is supposed to be a special Quidditch oil that will make your broomstick give off a faint, blue glow when a bludger is near, so you have a better chance on not getting hit," Hermione explained. "Plus, it makes your broom look brand new."

"Hermione, this is really great. It will really help. Where did you find it?" Harry asked.

"I found them in a Quidditch shop in Italy. Don't worry because they'll becoming to Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley soon. The silver oil is used to polish your wand with, and it gives off a faint, silver glow when danger is near," Hermione explained, a small smile on her lips. Harry was so amazed he was speechless. He then carefully set the bottles of oil aside as he pulled the two thick books from the box. The first was titled _Powerful Curses, Hexes, and Spells._ The second was titled _Magical Cures for Everyday Use._ Harry was greatly astonished. The look on his face gave Hermione the satisfaction that she bought him the perfect gifts.

"Thanks, Hermione," Harry said, smiling lightly. He glanced back at the window. It was still raining hard, accompanied by thunder and the occasional lightning bolt. Harry turned his attention back to Hermione as she pushed the two remaining presents to him, the letter sliding with it. Harry bent over slightly and quickly opened them. Hagrid had sent him numerous sweets, along with a new, bigger bag to carry his schoolbooks in. The last big package, from Sirius, contained a large box of new ingredients that were used in new useful potions he would be doing in his upcoming years in Snape's class. Some containers of butterbeer were also included, and a small certificate to the Quiddtich Shop in Diagon Alley. When Harry looked up at Hermione, she seemed very interested in the small letter. Harry then quickly picked it up.

"It's addressed to both of us, Hermione," Harry said as he handed it to Hermione. She slowly took it from him, her hand lightly brushing his. Hermione and Harry both lightly blushed. Hermione blinked lightly as she slowly broke the Hogwart's seal. Before she could pull out the letter, two small silver stones fell out. At least, Harry thought they were stones. Hermione soon had them in her hand.

"Harry, they're Prefect badges," Hermione said slowly.


	4. The Daring Duel in Diagon Alley

Disclaimer: I don't own anything having to do with Harry Potter, except a little figurine of Harry on a broom stick and two Harry Potter video games.*smirks* Enjoy!

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*Chapter 4: The Daring Duel in Diagon Alley*

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The shock and euphoria last until well after dinner and into the night for Harry and Hermione. They were to be Prefects in their upcoming year. How Harry had become one was completely oblivious to himself, seeing as he had broken many school rules in his last four years at Hogwarts. After discovering the badges, they had proceeded downstairs a few hours later to eat Mrs. Granger's wonderfully cooked dinner. She had also baked a cake just for Harry's fifteenth birthday, a very nice surprise since it was extremely delicious.

After eating and washing the dishes from dinner, Harry accompanied the Grangers in their family room as they settled themselves down to watch the evening news. As Mr. Granger commanded the remote and was able to change it to whatever he wanted to watch, Harry and Hermione began to study the new book that he had gotten. _Powerful Curses, Hexes, and Spells._ Hermione practically gave Harry a heart attack when she squealed with delight as she read over a spell that she couldn't wait to try. "A spell that sends powerful force waves of sound that knocks away anything in its way? That sounds very interesting," Harry whispered gently.

It is called the Aeroblaster, or in incantation form, _aerioblastera_," Hermione explained slowly.

"Latin origin?" Harry asked quickly.

"No, it is not Latin. I don't really know what language it is," Hermione replied as she began to read more. Harry could really tell that Hermione was anxious to try out the spell. Even he himself wanted to try it out as well. Harry slowly let go of the book as Hermione pulled it into her lap, quickly turning to the index at the back of the book. "I wonder if there is a powerful burning spell," she whispered again. Harry's eyes bulged lightly as Hermione's attitude and ambition towards the old tree up by the lake surprised him. To Hermione's amazement, Harry quickly got up and left the room, coming back moments later with a thick book in his arms. As he sat back down, Hermione recognized it as the potion's book that they use during Snape's class. "What did you get that for?" Hermione asked.

Hermione watched intently as Harry searched through the book before stopping on a page. "Since we can't use our wands outside of school to do magic, maybe we can make a potion," Harry explained slowly. After listening to him speak, Hermione looked at the page that he had turned to.

"Oh, I get it now. We can't conjure blue bell flames to store in a bottle, so maybe we can try to make them out of this complicated potion," Hermione said, catching Harry's eyes. The look on his face affirmed the idea. "There are some items on the list to use to make the potion. When we go to Diagon Alley tomorrow, we will pick the ingredients up with our new books," Hermione said with a small yawn.

Shortly after discussing their trip, Harry and Hermione both went up to bed, saying goodnight before disappearing into their separate dark bedrooms. In sleep, it felt like it had been an eternity before they both woke up the next morning. Hermione's parents had already left for work when Harry and Hermione made their way to the kitchen after a small tickle fight in the upstairs hallway where Hermione almost gained the upper hand.

"They arranged a taxi car to pick us up to take us to London, near the Muggle entrance to the Leaky Cauldron. They already paid for it too. It will be here at 10 o'clock," Hermione read off of a small note her parents had left them on the refrigerator. Harry's eyes instantly traveled to the clock above the doorway. The time read 9:15 a.m.

Panic had suddenly struck them both. "We have to be ready in 45 minutes!" Hermione cried as she made a mad dash for the stairwell. Harry laughed as he followed her. Within moments, Hermione had grabbed a few towels and locked herself in the bathroom. Harry could hear the shower turn on just seconds later. As Hermione showered, Harry curiously went into Hermione's bedroom. The walls were painted a light blue color, just like the guestroom. It also matched the carpet in her room.

Harry then studied Hermione's bookshelf. He wasn't quite surprised to find three bookshelves instead of just one. Harry almost laughed. "Typical Hermione," he said gently to himself. Just as he slowly exited her room after spending nearly ten minutes in there, he heard the water of the shower turn off, so he quickly crossed over to his room. He then proceeded to his large trunk.

He carefully selected his clothes and robe before heading towards the bathroom. Hermione had already gone to her room; the door to her room was shut. Not wanting to bother her, since she was probably changing, Harry proceeded into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. His right hand quickly secured the door by locking it. After stripping his clothes off, Harry stepped into the shower, pulling the curtain shut. He savored the feel of the hot water on his skin as he washed his body with a bar of soap that had its own little area to be set on.

When Harry was ready to wash his hair, he paused as he looked at the various shampoo bottles in the shower holder that was off to the side in the large shower. He carefully selected a small bottle that contained a yellow shampoo liquid. After pouring some into his hand, Harry worked it into a lather before massaging his scalp with it. As the shampoo lather washed off of his head once putting his head under the stream of water, Harry smiled as he smelled the sweet scent of the shampoo. It smelled really good and it definitely appealed to his senses. Making sure that he was done washing his hair and body, Harry quickly turned the shower off, reaching his other hand outside of the curtain to grab his towel. After quickly drying off, Harry carefully wrapped the towel around his waist. He then stepped out of the shower and picked up his dirty laundry.

Harry continued on into the hallway after he had unlocked the bathroom door. Seeing a laundry basket in sight, Harry dropped the clothes that needed to be washed into it, still looking down as he continued to walk forward. Before he could walk a foot farther, Harry ran into something, or someone.

"Harry, I am so sorry. I didn't see you there," Hermione said, her eyes trying not to look at him. Harry could see her face blush a light crimson color, obviously since she was seeing him now, and he was only wearing a towel around his waist. He could even feel his own face turn red as his cheeks began to feel warm. 

"It's alright, Hermione. I didn't see you. It is my fault," Harry spoke softly. He then stepped to the side, allowing Hermione to pass. As Harry proceeded into his room, Hermione quickly walked down the stairs. It felt like her face was on fire, and her heartbeat had picked up pace. She didn't know he was out of the bathroom, but it became quite obvious once she ran into him in the hallway, with only a towel around his waist. Hermione quickly glanced into the downstairs hallway mirror. Her face was definitely red. Desperately trying to stop blushing, Hermione carefully sat down in a chair in the kitchen, which was connected to the hallway. Thinking about what she just saw made Hermione's face warmer as the blood in her body gathered around her cheeks.

Luckily, Hermione's attention was finally able to stop thinking about Harry when a small barn owl came flying across the front lawn of her house. Getting up quickly from the chair, Hermione opened up the large kitchen window just in time fore the brown, tattered owl to soar in and land on the wooden table. After dropping a small magazine down and collecting some knuts from Hermione, the owl took flight and left the house, flying back out the open kitchen window. Hermione's weekly copy of the Daily Prophet had finally arrived.

A gasp escaped Hermione as she picked the magazine up and looked at the cover. The dominant picture revealed a large skull floating in the sky, green light and mist illuminating around it. "The Dark Mark," Hermione managed to say. As the words escaped her mouth, a bad feeling began to build up in Hermione. The Dark Mark was hovering over what looked to be a civilian park. Or, a muggle park, to those who hated non-magic folk. Just seeing the Dark Mark made Hermione not want to read on, but her curiosity got the best of her and she reluctantly turned the page to read the main article. The title was slightly animated as it flashed black and red.

****

Five Muggles Killed in Civilian Park!

Utter fright and hysteria struck a muggle community earlier this week when five muggles, two children and three adults, were found dead. The cause of death is still unknown to the muggles, but investigators from the Ministry of Magic have concluded that the Forbidden curse, the Killing Curse, was used upon the unfortunate muggles. Members of the Ministry of Magic continue to investigate as to who caused the death of the five muggles. Although Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic, refuses to believe that this attack was made by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, Albus Dumbledore confirms that he believes it to be and attack by the Dark Lord, who as everyone knows was defeated by young Harry Potter almost 14 years ago. Details are still sketchy on how He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named came back to power, but the Ministry of Magic believes he is back alive and they are ready to fight back. As for the Minister of Magic, his naivete shows wizarding folk that he still believes that the Dark Lord is not alive, when everyone else believes that the Dark Lord is alive. The evidence that shows this is the increasing deaths of muggles and weak wizards. More details are still unknown.

Hermione finally inhaled oxygen into her body. The article had practically taken her breath away. It was so horrible that five people were killed. Hearing Harry's footsteps on the stairs, Hermione quickly stuffed the Daily Prophet into a small cabinet where other magazines were stored, not wanting him to see the article. Hermione looked up at him as he entered the kitchen. Her chin was inclined a little since he was taller. Harry wore a pair of light blue jeans, a red and gold shirt, and his black cloak hung by his shoulders, a small string in front going across the next. Hermione smiled as he commented her on how nice she looked in her plain black skirt, a red and gold sweater identical to his shirt, and her black cloak on the same way as his.

"What was that paper shuffling sound?" Harry asked.

"It was nothing," Hermione immediately replied. Harry would have kept on asking until she told had it not been for the taxi car that had pulled up in front of the house, its horn giving off two short, loud blows. "That's the taxi. We have to go now," Hermione said gently as she pulled Harry to the door with her.

"Do you have everything we need? How about or school booklists?" Harry asked quickly as Hermione opened the door.

"Yes, Harry. I promise I have everything. We will get our money at Gringotts when we get to Diagon Alley. Trust me," she replied back with a dashing smile.

After closing and locking the front door to the two story brick house, Harry and Hermione quickly proceeded to the taxicab where they quickly slid in and told the driver where to take them. Off to London the taxi cab driver drove to, and within an hour and a half, Harry and Hermione stood before the muggle entrance to the Leaky Cauldron. "Here we go," Harry said with a laugh as he turned the doorknob in his hand, opened the old wooden door, and ushered Hermione quickly into the tavern.

As usual, the main room in the Leaky Cauldron was slightly dark, with lamps scattered around the room to cast dim light. The area near the bar was lit more than the rest of the room, since the person who served the drinks, food, and rented rooms needed more light to see. As the door shut loudly behind her, Hermione was quite surprised to see Harry quickly step into the shadows. She let out a gasp as Harry pulled her into the shadows after him.

"What are you doing, Harry?" Hermione asked slowly. Without answer, Harry quickly pulled Hermione along until they reached the brick wall entrance to Diagon Alley without being noticed or recognized. "Harry, please answer me," Hermione demanded. Before tapping the pattern of bricks to open the door to Diagon Alley, Harry finally turned and looked back at Hermione and opened his mouth to speak.

"I don't mind the feeling of being like so much because I'm famous and because what I unintentionally did, but," Harry began to explain before Hermione cut him off.

"But sometimes the attention you get for being famous gets old? Like last year, during the TriWizard Tournament? And during the second year, with Gilderoy Lockhart around?" Hermione asked.

Harry nodded his head. "Yes. You, Ron, Hagrid, the rest of the Weasley's, some of the teachers at Hogwarts, Sirius, and Dumbledore are the only people who look past my scar and see the real me," Harry explained slowly. Hermione smiled warmly before she stretched her arms out and gave Harry a small hug. It took him quite by surprise at first, but he gently hugged her back, inhaling the sweet smell of her hair before she pulled away.

Hermione's wand was in her hand when she pulled away. "I will get it this time," she whispered quickly before tapping the series of bricks on the wall. Slowly, the bricks began to part sides, and within seconds, the bricks had cleared away to form a doorway to walk through, which is exactly what Harry and Hermione did. They entered Diagon Alley.

Many witches and wizards were there, walking through the streets; shopping at individual shops and selling carts along the way. Harry smiled lightly. The warm feeling that he was practically home began to come back to him; he always got that feeling when he was at Hogwarts. Just minutes after entering Diagon Alley, Harry and Hermione began to meet people they knew. First, they found Seamus Finnigan and Neville Longbottom looking in the window at the Quality Quidditch supplies store. "Harry! Hermione! It's great to see you! Guess who is in the Quidditch signing autographs!?" Neville asked excitedly, obviously suggesting something to Hermione.

"Who is it, Neville? Lockhart?" Harry asked back, which earned a loud snort from Seamus, causing Hermione to laugh. Making jokes about Gilderoy Lockhart, the "false" wizard, was always fun to do among friends.

"No Harry. It's Krum. Viktor Krum!" Seamus cried lightly.

At Seamus's statement, Hermione suddenly turned cold. "Why are you so excited? He was at Hogwarts with all of us last year for almost nine months," Hermione said, a slight angry tone in her voice.

The tone in her voice surprised Seamus greatly. He had seen Hermione angry before, but he had never heard her have such a tone in her voice in the four years he had known her. "I'm not excited, really. But he is a famous Quidditch player," Seamus explained.

"Well, Seamus, Harry is famous for defeating Voldemort when he was a baby but I don't see you asking for an autograph from him," Hermione exclaimed forcefully. Harry was about ready to calm Hermione down, but Seamus spoke before he could get a word in.

"Hermione, our friendship with Harry is worth a lot more than a stupid autograph. Plus, we see Harry practically everyday at school," Seamus casually explained.

"It better be," Hermione quickly retorted before she grabbed Harry's hand and pulled him away from the Quidditch store and down the alley towards Gringotts Wizarding Bank. Harry continued to look at her quizzically as they entered the building. He was about ready to ask her why she was acting so heatedly, but a small goblin quickly lead Harry and Hermione to a desk where another goblin could help them.

"I am Hermione Granger and I would like to take money out of my vault," Hermione said quickly as she handed the old goblin her key. Harry proceeded to give the goblin his name and key too.

" I see. Miss Granger and Mr. Potter will be taking money from their vaults," the goblin squeaked softly with a hoarse voice. After giving a bell hop type goblin the keys and the vault numbers, Harry and Hermione followed it through a large doorway and into the small open cave, which lead to the vault tunnels.

"Please do be careful when entering the cart. And do remember to fasten your safety strap. We had a casualty last week when a customer was careless and chose not to wear their safety straps or hold on for that matter. The cleanup crew is still trying to wash all of the blood off of the basement floor, which is 350 floors down," the little trolley goblin explained, causing Harry and Hermione to cringe lightly with his short tale.

As soon as Harry, Hermione, and the little trolley goblin boarded the cart, the little goblin typed in the vault numbers. Harry and Hermione barely got their safety restraints on before the cart when flying down a narrow, rocky passage. The route seemed familiar to him. 'We must be going to Hermione's vault first,' Harry thought. His thought was soon confirmed as the little goblin stopped the cart abruptly. The little goblin exited the cart first, before taking the lamp from Harry. "Key please," the goblin squeaked. Hermione gladly handed over her key, and once her vault was open, she quickly stepped inside. She was still uptight over the incident that took place in front of the Quidditch store. Like Harry, Hermione also had a lot of money stored in her vault. Saved allowances, she had told him.

To Hermione's great surprise, Harry quickly pushed past the goblin (who squeaked madly) and entered behind Hermione into her vault, firmly pulling the vault door shut behind himself. "Harry! What are you doing? You just locked us in here!" Hermione cried out.

"Don't worry, the goblin has your key," Harry replied.

"Why did you do that?"

"Why did you get upset when Neville and Seamus mentioned Krum?"

Hermione suddenly looked depressed and distant as she refused to look back at Harry. He almost thought he saw a hint of fear in her eyes, for the first time. "I don't want to talk about it, Harry. Now please, open the door," Hermione said.

"That goblin is not as strong as I am, and I can hold this door shut as long as I need to until you tell me what is wrong," Harry demanded softly, keeping a firm grip on the door handle on the inside of the vault.

Hermione sighed softly, and Harry could see a small tear caress her cheek as it slipped free from her eye. "He…he hit me," she whispered lightly. Harry almost didn't hear her because she spoke so softly.

"Why? When did he do this? How? I swear, Hermione, if he tries to hit you again, I will hurt him," Harry said as he stepped closer to her, holding her hands in his own.

"Please don't. You don't have to hurt him," Hermione whispered, her face turning red as he held her hands. "While I was in Italy this summer, he came to visit me, to get away from Durmstrang. I didn't know he was such a mean drunk. One night, he took me on a date, and he was already drunk, and he wanted more than a hug from me, if you know what I mean. I tried to stop him, and he hit me across the face. Ever since then, I have refused to see him, although he tried to apologize several times. Viktor is only here in Diagon Alley to try to see me, since he knew I would come here sometime in the last four weeks before the new term started," Hermione explained slowly, more tears sliding down her cheek.

"Did anything happen?" Harry asked.

"Of course not! He hit me and then I left."

Harry let go of her left hand as he brushed the tears away from her face with his right hand. "I won't let him hurt you again. I promise," Harry whispered. His face was extremely close to hers. Hermione closed her eyes as his face inched closer. Hermione was sure it was about to happen, until the small trolley goblin managed to open the door. "Oy! What the bloody hell are you two hormonal kids doin? Locking yourselves in. Crazy kids," the goblin squeaked. Their moment interrupted, Harry and Hermione quickly exited the vault after Hermione filled her moneybag.

After the "almost" vault incident, Harry and Hermione stayed relatively quite as Harry filled his moneybag in his vault. No words were said even after they left Gringotts and headed back down the alley. Hermione was the first who broke the silence that hung over them. "Where should we go first, Harry?" Hermione asked, looking into his eyes for the first time since they were in the vault. Harry looked back at her and smiled softly.

"We will go anywhere you want to go. However, lets not go to the Quidditch shop until after Krum leaves," Harry replied, his hand lightly brushing against hers. Although Hermione felt that the silence between them was over, she still thought that there would be a lot of awkwardness seeing as they hadn't really talked about what happened, or was going to happen, down in her vault.

"Should I even ask if you would like to go into Flourish and Blotts?" harry asked, with a small smile playing on his face.

Hermione glared lightly at Harry before smiling lightly. "You didn't have to ask," she answered. A few minutes later, Harry and Hermione arrived at the bookstore, pulling out their booklists before going inside. Both of them began to look for their new books the moment they entered. Hermione quickly helped Harry find his advanced Arithmancy book, before they continued on to each grab a copy of _The Standard Book of Spells: Grade Five by Miranda Goshawk_. 

"_Advanced Numerology and Grammatica_," Harry said as he read the title.

"That is the book that we will be using in Arithmancy. Looks fun, doesn't it? Maybe you should pick up a copy of the first book as well, so it will be easier to catch you up using the first book," Hermione explained. Harry nodded quickly as he picked up a copy of the first Arithmancy book, _Numerology and Grammatica_. After grabbing the books they needed for school, both Harry and Hermione decided to look around for any other books that they found interesting.

Hermione was slightly relieved when she was able to go look in a book section when Harry went somewhere else. Ever since Gringotts, she had been very tense and extremely nervous whenever she was near him. Every time their hands brushed, Hermione's heart beat raced. She didn't want to tell her that Viktor hit her, but he had the right to know. She only regretted not telling him how Viktor became drunk. He had become an alcoholic ever since the fourth year, when Karkaroff let him drink wine whenever he fancied it. Harry was her best friend, so he definitely had the right, thus why she had decided to tell him. That and he had had Hermione trapped in the vault.

After picking up a small book on medical type spells, Hermione crossed over to the railing on the second floor where she was at and looked down at the many customers on the first floor. She could see Harry walking in between bookshelves, looking at different types of books on magic, potions, and Transfiguration. Looking at him made her begin to think about the vault, and that thought brought up many questions in her mind, as well as the blood to rush to her face. 'Was he going to kiss me? Did he want to? Why are these strong, emotional feelings rising in me? Does Harry have the same feelings?' Hermione thought. She was beginning to get confused, and Hermione never got confused.

Quickly pushing her thoughts away, Hermione walked back down to the first floor by using the wooden stairs. She casually caught Harry's eyes as he came out of an aisle near the stairs. "Are you ready to pay for our books?" Harry asked. Hermione smiled as she nodded her head. Slowly working through the crowd, Harry and Hermione came to the counter, where they paid for their big stacks of books and then left Flourish and Blotts.

Next, they proceeded on to the Magical Menagerie. There, harry wanted to buy more owl treats for Hedwig while Hermione watched a strange red lizard that could burst into flames at will, and yet it could easily extinguish the flames. Luckily the red lizard was kept in a fir-proof cage, since it made Hermione jump back as it started to shoot of sparks and belch out small flames.

Although Harry wanted to go to the Quality Quidditch Supplies store, he was disappointed when Hermione held him back. Harry quickly backed off, knowing that Hermione was worried about seeing Krum. After seeing a look of pain and fear on her face, Harry quickly pulled her aside in the street. "Hermione, you do know that I'm here for you, right?" Harry asked. Hermione slowly nodded her head as she looked back at him. "Ron and I…I promise we won't let anyone hurt you," Harry said.

Hermione smiled gently and quickly hugged him, also excepting him hugging her back. After their brief hug, Harry and Hermione quickly crossed to the Apothecary so they could restock their potion ingredients. It was only after they got enough potion ingredients, including the ingredients for the Blue Bell flame potion, that they both walked over to the Quidditch shop. "I think he might be gone, Hermione," Harry said slowly. Hermione carefully looked in the window, and turned back to Harry only when she didn't see Krum in the store. "Do you want to come in with me?" Harry asked.

"I think I will just waist outside. Unless you want me to come in with you, Harry."

"It's alright. You can stay out here if you want to. If you need anything, just come and get me," Harry responded before he turned and walked into the Quidditch store. Hermione looked into the window, watching Harry look around at the Quidditch robes, the broomsticks, and the protective gear. Her calm, happy mood would have continued had she not heard the cold, drawling voice behind herself.

"Well look at that. The foul Mudblood is in love with the Boy Who Lived. How pathetic," the voice said.

Hermione didn't even have to turn around to look at the person before she knew who it was. "Go away, Malfoy," Hermione hissed lightly. She still watched Harry, but she could see Draco's reflection in the glass window.

"Already defending yourself, Granger? Than I must be right."

"I'm not in love with Harry. He's my best friend," Hermione whispered, turning to Draco. He smiled cruelly as she looked at him.

"I bet that it is just eating you up inside, isn't it Granger?"

"What are you talking about, Malfoy?"

You know what I'm talking about. The Dark Lord has risen and it is only a matter of time before you all die," Malfoy sneered.

At that moment, something snapped inside Hermione. She couldn't remember when she grabbed her wand, but it was in her hand as she pointed it straight at Malfoy, her right arm thrusting forward. "Aerioblastera!" Hermione cried.

Suddenly, green rings of sound and energy erupted from the tip of her wand. The impact upon Draco sent him reeling. He had been thrown back at least twenty feet, and he looked like a muggle bus had hit him. An old witch screamed near Hermione, causing her to not here Malfoy cast his own spell. Hermione had been distracted as the red ball of energy struck her, causing her to collapse. Malfoy's spell had suddenly paralyzed her, for she had no feeling in her legs and arms. Hermione faintly heard another spell being cast, but she felt lightheaded and her hearing and vision began to weaken. Though her eyesight was blurred, Hermione saw Malfoy being hurled back into a nearby wall by what she thought to be the Disarming spell, Expelliarmus. Her vision and hearing suddenly came back and the feeling in her arms, legs, and the rest of her body was regained. The stout witch that had screamed just moments earlier had used a spell to cure Hermione's paralysis. It was then that Hermione discovered that Harry had cast the Disarming spell.

The look upon Draco Malfoy's face was murderous as he wearily stood up. His smile sent chills down Hermione's spine. "Enjoy the time you have left, for it won't be enough. See you at school, Mudbloods," Malfoy said quickly before turning and disappearing into the once again busy street of Diagon Alley.

"Are you alright?" harry asked as he helped Hermione to her feet.

"I'm fine, Harry. It just felt so good to hit him with that spell," Hermione explained.

Harry smiled gently. "I know exactly what you mean. What did he say to you anyway?" he asked. Hermione shook her head lightly as Harry helped her to her feet. 

"It was nothing." After steadying Hermione, the two gathered up all of their items that they bought and both left Diagon Alley quickly. Both Harry and Hermione agreed that they didn't want to stay there anymore. Hermione began to think of Malfoy's words as they walked back into the Leaky Cauldron and out to the streets of London.


	5. Arrival of the Wizard Dueling Tournament

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Disclaimer: You know the deal. Of course, I unfortunately don't own anything having to deal with Harry Potter.

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*Chapter Five: Arrival of the Wizard Dueling Tournament*

It was too early to go back to Hermione's house, according to Harry. He ended up treating Hermione to lunch at a small café near the Leaky Cauldron. Both enjoyed their meals very much. Shortly after leaving the café, Harry and Hermione were able to catch a taxicab to take them back home. Luckily, they were able to get all of their new school supplies in the taxicab's trunk. Harry tried to ask Hermione what Draco had said on the way back to her house, but she refused to answer his question. "It's not important, Harry. Please quit asking." The taxi finally dropped them back off at Hermione's house hours later, and within minutes they were back inside the main hallway. It was around 3:00 P.M. in the afternoon.

Harry looked at Hermione as he took off his shoes and set down his books. She did the same, before she quickly took off her cloak and hung it on a tall wooden coat rack. Harry followed her actions as he hung his cloak and walked after her into the living room. Bright sunlight was streaming through the windows the glass windows, but it was slowly diminishing. When look at closely, dark clouds appeared to be stirring up again. "Not another storm," Harry moaned lightly. He wanted to go swimming again with Hermione in her pool since he really wanted to try out the slide.

Seeing the dark clouds, Hermione quickly picked up the remote to the television. Her thumb pressed over the "on" button and the television screen came to life. She changed it to a weather station just in time. A radar was being displayed at that moment.

Lines of very severe storms were traveling straight for London and the vacinity where Hermione lived. She took in a deep breath as she put down the remote. "Let's leave this on, so we can watch for warnings. I'm going to go upstairs, Harry. Just stay right here and I will be back in a second," Hermione managed to say before disappearing down the hallway and up the stairs. Harry waited patiently as he sat down in one of the comfy chairs across from the television. A roar of thunder echoed from outside. His eyes kept traveling from the television to the window, watching the black clouds get closer. The storm was getting stronger, and flashes of lightning from far away lit up the gray and black skies.

Hermione came back down a few minutes later. She held many flashlights in her arms. "We might need these. For some strange reason, we always get nasty storms during the summer. And I mean nasty. You wouldn't think that central England would get bad storms like this, but we sometimes do," Hermione explained as she handed Harry a few flashlights before setting the rest down. The two of them stared out the windows.

The wind began to violently pick up, and bolts of lightning lanced across the dark sky. The lights throughout Hermione's house flickered before suddenly dying out. Hermione jumped lightly as a powerful bolt of lightning struck the field behind her home. The power was definitely off.

Both Harry and Hermione became extremely nervous. The house got dark very quickly after the power went out. They sat in the darkness, flashlights being turned on to make the room visible. Rain began to fall down heavily, pounding against the nearby windows. Harry almost had a heart attack when the phone rang. He quickly followed Hermione into the kitchen. Hermione grabbed the phone before it rang again. "Hello? Hi Dad. The storms are just coming in. Yes, Harry and I are fine. Yes, the power went out. Okay Dad. Drive safely," Hermione said in between her fathers' questions. She seemed slightly irritable, and Harry saw the worried look in her eyes as she turned to him.

"The storms are getting stronger. My Mum and Dad are going to delay leaving their office until the weather calms down. He said he would like us to go into the basement, just to be safe."

"You have a basement?" Harry asked, slightly amazed.

"Yes, we do. I just didn't get to show it to you yet. Let's grab our schoolbooks and get down there. Maybe we can wait out the storm by studying." 

After making a quick trip upstairs to get all of their schoolbooks and supplies, Harry and Hermione proceeded down the stairs and into a very large basement. There were many boxes and shelves all over the room. A few chairs were placed by a small table, and in the corner of the room was a small crawl in area to go into incase of a tornado. Blankets and pillows rested on the shelves and a small food storage unit sat next to the wooden shelves.

"I can see that you and your parents stay prepared for any type of weather," Harry said jokingly, cringing lightly when a loud thunder emanated from above. Hermione smiled with a small laugh before she pulled Harry over into the small crawl in pit. Hermione entered it first, Harry following right behind her. It surprised Harry that the inside of it was cushioned very softly. Both lay down next to each other, pushing their books aside.

"How often do you come down here?" Harry asked.

"Not too much. Sometimes I like to come down here to be alone."

Hermione yawned softly before she glanced over at Harry. "Take a nap if you're tired," he said with a small smirk.

"I could never fall asleep during a storm like this," Hermione whispered.

"What about all of the storms we have had at Hogwarts? Did you sleep then?"

"Not often. Though I wasn't alone in the room, I was frightened sometimes."

"How long have you been afraid of storms?" Harry asked.

Hermione yawned slightly again. "Ever since I was little, when we lived in our old house. We had this huge oak tree in our front yard. One day while my aunt was visiting, a big storm came up. Our big tree fell over on to our house when we were on our way down to the basement. The tree smashed through the front of our house. After the storm had gone, when the sun came out, we found my aunt's body crushed under the tree," Hermione explained slowly. The violent image of blood all over the tree and the living room carpet flashed into her mind. The image of her aunt was still burned into her mind. Hermione quickly closed her eyes before opening them again, trying to force the bad memory away.

"Don't worry about the storm, Hermione. I will be here to protect you from an oak tress," Harry whispered softly with a smirk. Hermione smiled warmly as she rested her head on the cushioned bottom. Her eyes slowly closed as Hermione began to fall asleep. Harry enjoyed watching her. He was able to watch her sleep for nearly and hour while the storm raged on before he slowly drifted off to sleep himself. 

From that moment on, Hermione was no longer afraid of storms, and she could sleep normally during them.

*---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------*

The storm left behind minimal damage, and it was reported that a tornado took only two lives on the North side of London. Hermione's parents had arrived home later that night, and life went back to normal.

Harry and Hermione spent the rest of the week reading their new books for school, swimming in Hermione's pool (which was awkward and nervous for them both since they had never seen each other with so little clothing on), and making trips around Hermione's neighborhood. They continued to do the same activities until the beginning of the second week when they received a letter from Ron on the following Tuesday. Harry and Hermione had been running around in the front yard when Pigwidgeon suddenly arrived. The little gray owl almost collided with the mailbox in his descent.

"It's a letter from Ron about the Wizard Dueling Tournament," Harry said excitedly as he unfolded the small bit of parchment.

Dear Harry and Hermione,

I have some great and yet sudden news. The wizard dueling tournament has been moved to _this Thursday!_ Hermione, ask your parents because we want to pick you and Harry up tomorrow. By the way, my father found out who will be competing in the first round of the tournament. Snape is going to be facing off against Lucius Malfoy! I hope that they both kill each other during battle.

Ron

"I'm so sure that Snape and Malfoy will get that heated in battle. Draco is in Snape's house. They respect each other," Harry breathed out with disappointment and sarcasm as he folded the letter back up.

"We could still hope, Harry," Hermione said with a big grin. Harry's mouth dropped open and her laughed as Hermione pulled him towards the backyard. His fingers found their way to her neck and sides, poking and tickling her madly. Hermione struggled against him, giggles escaping from her. The two inched closer to the pool, completely unaware of the slippery surface next to it. Harry barely caught Hermione as she suddenly slipped. She let out a frantic cry before Harry pulled her back up to him. Their eyesight's crossed and then lined up, focusing on each other. Just as their faces became inches apart, Harry's feet gave out underneath him. He plunged into the cool water, pulling Hermione with him.

Hermione was the first to break the surface, breathing in oxygen. She looked for Harry frantically before he suddenly splashed up behind her, dragging her back under. Mrs. Granger came out only moments later to find the two swimming in circles, talking to each other about Quidditch, school, and the Wizard Dueling tournament. "Hey you two. Dinner is going to be ready soon so you both should get out and dry off to put on some dry clothes," she said. Both Harry and Hermione acknowledged Mrs. Granger's request and proceeded to go upstairs and change clothes.

After several minutes of taking turns drying off and changing in the bathroom, Harry and Hermione returned downstairs and were ushered into the kitchen by Mr. Granger. They both sat down next to each other, arms at their sides. Their hands briefly touched, causing them to draw away from each other as if they were both shocked. "Sorry," Harry whispered. Hermione opened her mouth to speak to him or object but stopped once Mrs. Granger brought over the plates of food and set them down upon the table before them all.

"So, Hermione, who was the owl from?" Mr. Granger asked. Harry immediately assumed that Mr. Granger had seen Pigwidgeon run into the mailbox. Hermione quickly exchanged looks with Harry.

"It was from our friend, Ron Weasley."

"Oh that's wonderful. What did Ron write about?" Mrs. Granger asked as she passed a plate of meat to Harry.

"The Wizard Dueling tournament has been moved up. They start the day after tomorrow. Ron wants to pick us up tomorrow afternoon," Hermione explained.

Both parents frowned lightly. "We're lightly disappointed that you two won't be able to stay longer, but you can go. Write back to him as soon as you are done eating," Mr. Granger said as he buttered a bread roll. Harry smiled at Hermione and the two quickly finished off their dinner.

Their response to Ron's letter was written shortly after Harry and Hermione finished washing the dishes from dinner. Pigwidgeon was still out in the front yard, hovering around the stone birdbath before flying over to the lamppost and hovering around it with the little moths. Harry attacked the small note to Pig's leg before the small hyperactive owl let out a hoot of delight before it disappeared into the dusk sky.

"We better go pack our trunks. Who knows when Ron will show up, or how he will get here for that matter," Harry said as he returned to Hermione. Harry heard her laugh. It was very true, though. The Weasley's traveled in odd ways. They traveled by flying car, floo powder, and apparition. Harry only wondered how they would come to pick them up the next day.

Hermione helped Harry pack his school supplies he bought once they went inside and upstairs. He was about ready to put his Firebolt into his trunk when he saw the two oil bottles that Hermione had given him for his birthday. Carefully lifting them up, Harry set them on the dresser top.

"Do you want me to help you?" Hermione asked slowly.

Harry nodded his head rigorously. "Since I don't know exactly how these oils work, so yes I need your help," Harry said with a small laugh.

After letting go of his broom, the Firebolt hovered a few feet above the ground next to the dresser as Hermione carefully opened the lids on the oil bottles. "Are you sure you know what you're doing, Hermione?" Harry asked.

"I'm not completely sure. I can't remember the directions that the shop owner gave me. I think this is how you do it," Hermione gently said as she carefully turned the bottle over. Harry's eyes looked frantic and yet amazed at the same time. The blue oil slowly came out of the bottle. Instead of spilling onto the floor, the blue oil slowly enveloped Harry's Firebolt. Within seconds, the oil suddenly soaked into the broomstick. The Firebolt shined and looked brand new. All of the oil had soaked in, and Harry had assumed it had done its job.

"Well, I guess we won't know if it worked until a bludger comes after me once we get back to school," Harry commented as he put his broom away carefully in his trunk.

Hermione proceeded to tip the silver oil bottle over once Harry got out his wand. The affect stayed the same. The oils surrounded the wand and then soaked in. 

Before closing his trunk, Harry set out some clothes to wear for the next day. Hermione then dragged him into her room, and the two proceeded to pack Hermione's many trunks with all of her books. "Hermione, they might as well just let you have a room in the library to sleep in since you practically live there. Plus, it looks like you have half of the library with you."

Hermione glared lightly at Harry, but she knew he was joking. "Quit over exaggerating, Harry," she said with a small smile. Harry suddenly jumped backwards with a small yelp. He bumped into Hermione, causing her to drop all of the books she had in her arms.

"Why the bloody hell are you keeping fire in a jar, Hermione? I tried to open this black bottle, and it almost singed my hair off of my head."

Hermione laughed as she took the bottle away from him. "Those are the bluebell flames that I created with that potion so we can burn down that old tree. Since we can't use magic, I made it this morning while you were asleep. I planned on us going to burn it on Saturday night, but we have to leave tomorrow. I wanted to go out there tonight. It was supposed to be a surprise," Hermione explained.

Bending over, Harry gathered up the dropped books in his arms and placed them in the last trunk. He closed it before standing back up and looking at Hermione. "Let's go now then, since we are both done packing already. We'll be back in plenty of time to go to sleep and rest up for tomorrow."

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The small lake reflected the eerie glow of the hollow old tree engulfed in large blue flames. Wood began to burn, and the tree slowly began to accumulate into a pile of ash.

Harry and Hermione sat far away on the bank of sand by the water's edge. They watched the tree burn, taking the time to occasionally look up at the stars in the night sky.

"I wonder what he is doing right now," Harry gently whispered.

"Who? Ron?"

"No. I wonder what Voldemort has been doing this summer. What I mean is you and Ron would have told me if anything happened. Wouldn't you, Hermione?"

Hermione sighed softly. "Yes, I would. And I'm one hundred percent sure Ron would too." She quickly turned her head away from him and looked back towards the burning tree.

The silence between them grew, but was soon forgotten as the sound of the burning tree grew, drowning out the chirping of the crickets.

The whole view of the lake, the twilight sky, and the vision of the burning tree amazed the hooded figure that was hiding behind a log across the waters. It slowly wrote the coordinates down on a piece of paper before turning and fleeing quietly into the underbrush and the trees.

*---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------*

Although they didn't know when Ron was to come get them, Harry and Hermione got up just before lunch to have plenty of time to get ready. Hermione's parents had gone off to work, but they said their good-byes to their daughter and her best friend before departing. The only thing left for Harry and Hermione to do was to wash the dishes from lunch and finish getting ready. Hermione used the small sink brush to lather and wash the dishes with soap before giving them to Harry so he could dry them off and put them away.

"Uh, Hermione? Where do this small saucer go?" he asked as he searched through random cabinets. Just as he began to open the bottom cabinet next to the stove, Harry came face to face with Hermione as she slid in front of him, blocking his path to the cabinet.

"I can put it away," she whispered quickly as she took the saucer out of his hand, looking up into his eyes since he was taller. Even after she had the saucer, Hermione stood like a statue rooted to the floor in front of the cabinet.

"Hermione, is everything alright? Right now, it feels like you're hiding something from me. You've just been so secretive and awkward."

The guilt swelling up inside of Hermione was slowly destroying her. After slowly moving aside, Hermione opened the cabinet and pulled out what looked to be three months worth of the Daily Prophet. The saucer slowly clinked into place, and Hermione handed the large stack of Daily Prophet's too Harry. His eyes immediately began to scan over each headline as he looked from one edition to the next.

**30 Muggles Killed in Train Accident Believed to Be Caused By Disgruntled Giants; Ministry Investigates**, **Victim of Deatheater Attack Awakens After Long Coma**, **Five Muggles Killed In Civilian Park**, **Ministry of Magic Executive Kidnapped, Tortured, and Mind Wiped After Public Raid**, and **Diggory Family Mourns Loss of Son** were just some of the headlines that crossed Harry's eyes. Hermione tried not to meet his gaze as Harry finally looked back to her after scanning over all of the Daily Prophet covers. "Why, Hermione? How could you do this? How could you hide this from me?"

She had to fight the tears back as she looked into his emerald eyes. "I'm so sorry, Harry. I only hid them from you because I was worried. I didn't want you to worry."

Harry sighed, anger and pain building up in him showing in his eyes. "You could have told me, Hermione," Harry said before pausing, "I trusted you."

The tears slowly began to slip down Hermione's cheek as she opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by someone calling out from the living room. "Oy! Is anyone here? Harry? Hermione?"

The argument between Harry and Hermione suddenly ended, and the tears disappeared from her face as Hermione wiped them away furiously with her sleeve before following Harry out of the kitchen. After rounding the hallway corner, Harry and Hermione came face to face with their other best friend, Ron Weasley, and his father, Arthur Weasley.

"Ron! How did you get in?" Harry asked as he smiled brightly.

"Ah, that would be my doing Harry. Seeing as you three can't do magic outside of school, I brought Ron and I here and magically unlocked the door. While I'm on the subject of not doing magic outside of school, you two don't have to worry about your little incident in Diagon Alley. There were many witches and wizards that witnessed it and said that you two using magic against the Malfoy boy was brought on by him. Th whole thing was smoothed over," Mr. Weasley explained slowly.

Hermione blushed furiously, and Harry nervously smirked.

"Well, I must say, Hermione. Your home is fabulous!" Mr. Weasley said excitedly. He quickly began to walk around, looking at everything with intense wonderment. Mr. Weasley was very fond of muggles and was fascinated by everything the created.

"Do you two have your trunks packed?" Ron asked.

"Yes, Ron, we do," Hermione said softly, finally talking and smiling lightly after the argument in the kitchen.

"Great! Why don't you three go out into the backyard by the pool and wait for me there while I gather your trunks," Mr. Weasley commented as he quickly ushered Harry, Hermione, and Ron out through the patio door.

"So, Ron, how has your summer been?" Hermione asked as she approached the pool edge.

Ron sighed softly as he enjoyed the view. "Everything has been alright. We all went yesterday to Diagon Alley and got our new school supplies. Percy got promoted since Mr. Crouch is dead. He's extremely happy about it and very annoying since all he does is prance around the house exclaiming that he now has more authority in the Ministry. Luckily though, he's not letting the Ministry spy on the operation."

"Operation?" Harry asked.

"Yeah. Ever since the end of last year, Dumbledore contacted loads of people that were against You-Know-Who last time, so we get frequent visitors," Ron explained.

"How are Percy and Penelope doing?" Hermione asked, changing the subject.

"They're doing great. She got a job at the Ministry with Percy, and she practically lives with us because she is always at the Burrow. No problems with that, though. Ginny loves her, and Mum and Dad don't mind having her around all the time."

Their discussion ended once Mr. Weasley brought out the two trunks moments later. He had bewitched them so that they would float, Hedwig's cage with her in it sitting on top of Harry's trunk. Ron's father had also used magic to lock up all of the doors and windows, saving Hermione the trouble of doing it manually.

"I hope you don't mind me asking this, Mr. Weasley, but how did you two get here?" Harry asked, scratching at his forehead.

"Water portaling."

"What's that?" Hermione asked curiously.

Ron suddenly gasped loudly, surprising Hermione and almost causing her to fall into the pool. "Wow. There really is something that Hermione does not know!" Ron exclaimed with a laugh.

"Shut up, Ron," Hermione said as she glared at him, reaching out her arms to push him.

Harry burst into laughter as Ron toppled over backward and fell headfirst into the cold waters. Even Mr. Weasley managed to chuckle as his tall, red-haired son quickly climbed out of the pool. He was soaked from head to toe, and water dripped from his robes. "Why did you have to do that, Hermione? I was only joking," Ron choked out as he shook water off of his face.

"I'm sorry, Ron. I didn't think that you would fall in."

"Come now, you three. Why don't we get moving along?" Mr. Weasley asked as he pulled out his wand. With a small wave and a flick of his hand, the surface of the pool water slowly changed over to an aquamarine color. "Hermione, why don't you go first? Just step out onto the water. Don't worry, you will be able to walk on it."

Ever so cautiously, Hermione slowly put her feet on the water's surface of the pool. She expected to fall, but was very surprised when she didn't.

"Why couldn't you have done that before I fell?" Ron asked his father.

"Shut up, Ron. Good Hermione, now just call out your destination and you will be on your way."

"So it is like floo powder?" Harry asked.

"Yes, it is, Harry."

"The Burrow," Hermione cried wearily.

The moment after the words escaped her mouth, Hermione slowly sank beneath the surface of the water unexpectedly, and then suddenly vanished. Harry was quite shocked at how calm she was when she had gone below the surface.

"Go ahead, Harry," Ron muttered, shivering slightly.

Harry swallowed the lump in his throat before stepping on to the water just as Hermione had done. "The Burrow." The feeling of sinking underneath the water was quite different then anything he had ever felt before. Harry quickly inhaled, expecting to not be able to breathe underwater, but as soon as he had gone under, Harry was rising back out. Seconds later, Harry was standing before Hermione and Ron's younger sister, Ginny. He was standing on the small pond out in front of the Weasley's home, and he quickly stepped off as he began to see Ron rising out of it with the two trunks. Mr. Weasley soon followed, and the small pond that had also turned aquamarine slowly returned to its original color.

"Arthur! You're back!" Mrs. Weasley cried as she approached with Fred and George close behind.

"Bloody hell, Ron. You're soaking wet!" George exclaimed as they stopped next to Ginny.

Mrs. Weasley pulled out her wand and pointed it at her youngest son. "Impervius!" Every single drop of water suddenly evaporated with a flash from Ron as the spell worked. Ron was completely dry. Harry distinctly heard Hermione mutter something about be careful with that spell because it could accidentally de-hydrate someone completely and that they would wither up and die.

"Oh, Harry dear. It's so good to see you again. You'll be safe here with us. And Hermione, you're growing into such a beautiful young woman. Come, everyone. Let's go inside. I'm going to start preparing our meal for dinner," Mrs. Weasley said as she led them all up to the house.

Mrs. Weasley stopped in the kitchen on the way in and immediately began to pull out pots and pans. Her husband joined her side as they began to talk about problems in the Ministry. Ron quickly decided that it would be a good idea to head upstairs right away. With Ginny's help, the four of them managed to heft Harry and Hermione's trunks up the stairs. Hermione and Ginny left Harry and Ron to carry Harry's trunk up to Ron's room as the two girls entered Ginny's room and casually shut the door behind them. Within moments, Harry and Ron were relaxing amongst the many posters of Ron's favorite Quidditch team, the Chudley Cannons. The players raced across the portrait, throwing quaffles, hitting bludgers, and catching the snitch. In the corner of Ron's room, Pigwidgeon slept peacefully in his cage.

"Shocking, isn't it?" Ron asked.

Harry laughed and nodded his head. "The insanely hyper owl finally rests. You know, when he came to Hermione's house with your letter, he almost slammed into the mailbox."

Ron roared with laughter, and Harry began to take in the familiar surroundings of his best friend's room. "Ron, what is that big box over in the corner?" Harry asked.

The biggest smile that Harry had ever seen suddenly blossomed on Ron's face. The box was open within seconds and a sleek, black Nimbus 2001 rolled out of the wrapping and on to Ron's bed. "Percy won it in some sort raffle in the Ministry. He was going to give it to Fred or George, but they fought over it so he gave it to me. I know that Malfoy has one, but I don't care. I have a good broom for once."

"Why didn't Percy want to keep it for himself?" Harry asked.

"He thinks that traveling by broomstick is dangerous. He would rather Apparate to work every morning. Plus, he is afraid of heights," Ron managed to get out as he sniggered loudly.

"So where is Percy?" Harry asked.

"He is off with Penelope visiting her parents. Harry, let's get Fred and George and see if they'd like to go up to that clearing in the forest. We can all practice Quidditch."

Harry nodded his head in agreement. "Quidditch, good. Hopefully we will have Quidditch matches this year. It will be something to look forward to."

"Now that I have a broom, I might even try out for the Gryffindor team. You guys need a Keeper, don't you?" Ron asked as they left his room, carrying their brooms at their sides. Ron's question was forgotten as Hermione and Ginny appeared in the landing.

"Going to play Quidditch?" Ginny asked.

Both Harry and Ron nodded their heads at the same time.

"Harry, are you sure that it is a good idea? I would think that you of all people would want to be a bit more careful," Hermione said.

"That didn't stop us going to your secret spot, Hermione," Harry retorted back, causing Hermione to blush. Ron looked questionably at him, but Harry shrugged it off. "Believe me, Hermione, I am being careful. I carry my wand with me everywhere I go. Even when I'm in the shower." Harry drew his wand out of his pants pocket to make sure she saw it.

Harry and Ron continued down the stairs with Hermione and Ginny following. They didn't even have to ask Fred and George if they wanted to practice as they all walked into the kitchen. The redheaded twins instantly grabbed their own brooms and joined the others outside.

"And where on earth do you think you are all going?" cried Mrs. Weasley as she suddenly burst out of the kitchen after the six of them had quickly passed by.

"Mum, we only want to go up to that wood clearing to practice," George tried to explain, but the angry and yet worried look upon her face quickly silenced him.

"You are not going up there without someone to watch over your practice. Luckily for you, George, our guest for the evening has just arrived. I am quite sure that he and your father won't mind going along with the lot of you."

After Mrs. Weasley went back inside, Harry began to talk with Fred and George about certain Quidditch moves that they wanted to try out as they all waited for Mr. Weasley and their 'guest' to appear in the backyard.

"So, Ginny, who is the guest?" Hermione asked softly, trying not to speak too loudly.

"Who knows? We've had a lot of witches and wizards over to talk privately with Mum and Dad."

"What do they talk about?"

Ginny sighed softly, brushing some of her short red hair away from her face. "Well, none of us has ever heard what they speak about. Not even Fred and George. They even tried to apparate into the basement once after they passed their apparition tests. Ron and I tried listening at the door once, but we couldn't hear a thing," Ginny explained.

"It sounds like they either put a silencing barrier around the room or they might have used a silencing charm on the door and all of the basement walls," Hermione said, beaming when Ginny gave her a look of amazement. The conversations only stopped once the back door to the Burrow opened with a loud creak.

"Professor Lupin!"

"Nice to see you all too," Lupin replied after witnessing how excited they all were to see their old Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher from two years ago when the threat of Sirius Black hung over Harry's head. But that complication had been solved, and Harry was grateful for having Sirius as his godfather. He only wished that Sirius would send a letter to him. He was worried about his godfather.

"Molly told use that you six want to go practice Quidditch, so we agreed to accompany you, for protective reasons. We should get going, because we will have to be back soon for dinner," Mr. Weasley commented as he began to usher them all along. Lupin followed closely behind, while Mr. Weasley led the group from the front.

Harry enjoyed mounting his Firebolt and kicking off into the air once they arrived in the forest clearing. All of his worries were left behind on the ground as he soared through the air, the wind whipping through his hair. Realizing that he was beginning to fly too high, Harry turned swiftly on his broom and descended down to fly next to Ron.

The four young men practiced for nearly an hour in which they helped Harry practice the Wronski Feint that Krum had used during the Quidditch World Cup. Even though Harry was angry with Hermione for hiding the Daily Prophet magazines from him, he felt like acid had slipped into his stomach at the thought of Krum hitting her. Even the thought of him touching her made him angry. While they practiced, Lupin and Mr. Weasley stayed very alert, also taking time to practice a few powerful hexes and jinxes. Everyone only finally returned back to the Burrow when they could all hear Mrs. Weasley's voice ring out very loudly over the clearing. "Dinner!"

"Molly, dear, I don't think that it is very wise to be using the Sonorus charm to call out like that," Mr. Weasley said as they walked up to the house.

"I'm sorry, dear, but Errol was sleeping and I didn't want to wake him. He's getting rather old."

Harry, Hermione, Lupin, and the rest of the Weasley's arrived in the kitchen to gather around and take their seats at the table. With a quick wave of her wand, Mrs. Weasley guided all of the food that she had made over to the table, while her husband guided the plates and silverware. "Tuck in, everyone," Mr. Weasley muttered as he set the last fork down.

Throughout the meal, Harry wasn't the only one who enjoyed the food that Mrs. Weasley had prepared. Hermione and Lupin looked especially happy as they ate their way through the mashed and cooked potatoes that were on their own plates. Harry had wanted to sit next to Professor Lupin to speak with him, to catch up, but Lupin seemed to be avoiding him, and he had Hermione sit between them.

After filling themselves to the brink with food, Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny strode up the stairs to go to bed. It was at this time that Harry was finally able to speak with Ron in private about Hermione hiding the articles from him. "Look, Harry. I know that what Hermione did was wrong, and that she shouldn't have hid them from you, but I can see why she would do it."

If Harry's mouth could have stretched far, he believed that it would have fallen to the floor. "You're agreeing with her?"

"No! All that I am saying is that I can understand why she did it, because she did it to keep you from worrying too much about You-Know-Who."

"I don't see why she would have to," Harry said as he tossed the articles to Ron, "they don't even mention Voldemort." Ron suddenly cringed lightly.

"Well, it is obvious why that us," Ron muttered sarcastically, but after seeing Harry's blank look, Ron decided to elaborate. "Cornelius Fudge still doesn't believe Dumbledore or you about You-Know-Who, and he must be starting to take control of the Daily Prophet. Judging by the description of the dead, they had to have been killed by magic, but of course, Cornelius Fudge managed to get the Prophet to say that it is a mystery how those people died. They're only printing out lies because Fudge has his fingers around the editor's throat."

"What about all of the guests that you get coming to your house all the time? Anything else that you know besides what Ginny told Hermione and I?" Harry asked.

"Dad told me about it, sort of. All of the witches and wizards that come here are working together with Dumbledore to fight back against You-Know-Who. That's another reason why Cornelius Fudge is edgy around Dumbledore. He believes that Dumbledore has it in for the Ministry, which is a load of crap," Ron explained slowly as he popped a few owl treats into Pigwidgeon's cage.

"So Lupin is one of Dumbledore's supporters?"

"Of course! But it is not the only reason why he is here. I'm sure Dad will try to tell you in the morning but Lupin is here to ensure your safety tomorrow when we go to the Wizard Dueling Tournament. There will probably others that along too."

"Dumbledore must be really concerned about me," Harry breathed out as he glanced at the article titled **Victim of Deatheater Attack Awakens After Long Coma**. Ron turned to look at it too.

"Oh, that is about Frank Longbottom, Neville's father."

"Wait a moment. Coma? I thought that they were awake," Harry said, a puzzled look upon his face.

"How do you know about all of this?" Ron asked.

Harry quickly lied to cover up that Dumbledore had told him by telling Ron that he had found an old copy of the Daily Prophet from the last time that Voldemort was in power. He said that the article he read talked about Neville's parents being put into St. Mungo's Hospital after they were tortured with the Cruciatus Curse.

"Okay, that makes sense. Anyway, about a month ago, Neville's father slipped into a coma after being insane for nearly 15 years. He has been asleep until about a week ago. Mr. Longbottom finally woke up."

"Is it even possible for an insane person to just go into a coma and then wake up, back to normal after a period of time?" Harry asked.

Ron shrugged lightly. "I'm not sure, but it happened to him."

Harry smiled softly. "I bet Neville was extremely happy."

Shortly after they finished their conversation, Harry fell asleep in the guest bed that Mr. Weasley had magically conjured up in Ron's room. He was able to sleep better knowing that wherever Neville was at, Harry knew that his forgetful friend was happy to have a parent. Harry couldn't have felt more joyful about it.

*---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------*

Harry was woken up early the next morning when Ron let out several loud cries of pain. It seemed that the twins had apparated into Ron's room to wake them up, Fred accidentally appearing to end up standing on Ron's stomach. After Harry and Ron dressed into jeans, tee shirt, and robes, they joined everyone else in the Weasley household to eat breakfast before they all went outside to gather around the small pond. Right after Mr. Weasley turned the pond water aquamarine, two wizards suddenly apparated next to the large group. Hermione almost fell over in fright after Mundungus Fletcher and the real Alastor Moody appeared next to her.

"It's about time you arrived, Mundungus. Ah, Alastor, it is good to see you," Mrs. Weasley said with a smile. Harry looked over at the two wizards standing next to Hermione. At first, Moody looked like he wanted to greet Harry, but he didn't get the chance. Mr. Weasley quickly began to usher them on to the pond's water surface, in which he called out their destination. After sinking below the surface, everyone was gathered in a large room in less than ten minutes.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley led them forward to a large stone desk where three stout wizards began to check them in. Harry, Hermione, and Ron took this opportunity to look around the building in which they were. Harry thought he heard Hermione mumble something about them being in a small castle, but he ignored it. Above him, the ceiling was lit by hundreds of flaming torches. The many fires illuminated the high stone ceiling. The whole building seemed to be made of stone, and it seemed very old.

Harry watched many more wizards arrive by water portaling, floo powder, and apparition. "Do you know why Mr. Weasley made you all bring brooms?" Hermione asked Harry. The answer she got was both Fred and George pointing up above their heads. In the middle of the ceiling, there was a large hole. Hermione watched several witches and wizards fly up through it, following a magical tunnel to what looked like a small stadium floating in the sky.

"Obviously, the Ministry of magic must have spent a long time trying to organize this event," Hermione whispered, tutting afterwards. "They shouldn't have wasted their time on this. The Ministry should be worried about Voldemort." Luckily, only Harry and Ron heard her. Harry felt great admiration for her at that moment. It was the first time that he had heard Hermione say Voldemort's name, seeing as mostly everyone else was too afraid too. Of course, Dumbledore wasn't.

"Alright, everyone. Let's divide up in pairs so we can fly up to the stadium," Moody growled lightly. Ginny ended up riding with Ron on his new Nimbus 2001. Fred and George were allowed to ride solo on their own brooms. Hermione stepped over to Harry, it being obvious that she had to ride with him on his Firebolt.

"Harry, I just wanted to apologize again…" Hermione began to say.

"Hermione, don't. I should be apologizing to you. I'm sorry. I overreacted yesterday. Forgive me?"

Hermione blushed furiously. "Of course I forgive you, Harry. I could never not forgive you."

With a quick smile and a hand up, Harry helped Hermione on to the back of his Firebolt. Hermione's arms found their way around Harry's waist quickly as he kicked off from the ground and turned his Firebolt toward the ceiling. He flew up, following after the others. Hermione squealed as Harry did a quick loop after clearing the building. She could hear him laugh.

After landing several minutes later, Lupin approached Harry and Hermione slowly with a small smirk upon his face. "Trying to show off your flying skills, Harry?" Lupin asked, laughing lightly. Harry smiled, for he knew that his old Professor was just joking with him. 

"I just thought that I would give Hermione a little scare," Harry muttered, causing Hermione's face to turn a very bright shade of crimson yet again.

Mr. Weasley, who had begun to lead the large group forward toward their row of seats, pulled out a small map of the stadium. After passing through several rows of seats, Mr. Weasley led them down to their seats. The seats that they had were exactly in front of the dueling floor. They all had the best seats in the stadium, right down in the front row next to the dueling floor.

Hundreds of other wizards were already seated in the large stadium. Harry looked at the dueling floor. On each side, there was a small stairway that led down to two separate wooden doors. Above the wooden doorway, a small sign was placed that said 'Lockers' in light blue letters. After watching it with interest, he noticed that the blue letters also flashed the name of the witch or wizard that was to come forth when the first round of dueling was to begin. Professor Snape's name was on their right and Lucius Malfoy's name was on the left. They were to be the first two wizards to compete in the Dueling tournament.

A half an hour passed before the stands of the stadium were finally filled. Next to Harry, Hermione pulled out a muggle notebook and a muggle pen from her robe's pocket. "What are you doing?" Ron asked as he looked around Harry.

"If you must know, I'm going to copy down the spells that are used. They might come in handy someday." Ron looked shocked.

"Harry, please tell me that you think Hermione is completely nuts. I mean, she could just look up the spells in a book!" Ron exclaimed.

"Actually, can you make me a copy of those when you're done, Hermione?" Harry asked, Ron's reaction was surprise and utter disgust.

"This is bad. She's turning you into her clone, Harry. Except the male version," Ron muttered. This earned him many scathing looks from Hermione and a small chuckle from his best friend. Hermione opened her mouth to make a remark, but a loud bell ringing out stopped her. All eyes turned to the dueling floor as Severus Snape and Lucius Malfoy appeared out of their separate locker rooms and strode to the center circle. They bowed as the judge instructed, and then turned and walked their opposite ways. The two wizards had reached the ends when the judge spoke out loud, using the Sonorus charm.

"Round One: Professor Severus Snape, Potion's Master at Hogwarts versus Lucius Malfoy, Ministry of Magic worker." Mr. Malfoy sneered lightly, since the judge did not name the department he worked in. Obviously, the judge favored Dumbledore and not the Ministry. The judge on the high chair rang the bell again, and the duel began.

Mr. Malfoy leapt forward, jabbing his wand toward Snape. "Parlysio!" he cried. It was the same spell that Lucius's son, Draco, had cast on Hermione in Diagon Alley. Luckily for Snape, he easily blocked Malfoy's spell with a powerful protection charm. Hermione was writing down everything furiously.

It was then Snape's turn to cast his spell. Harry and Hermione were greatly surprised at his spell choice. "Aerioblastera!" Snape cried. The familiar rings of sound and force erupted from the tip of Snape's wand. Lucius Malfoy was too slow to try to block it, and he was blasted backward. His body struck the nearest wall before he fell to the floor. He slowly got up, looking slightly disgruntled. For the first time in his life, Harry supported Professor Snape. He smiled with amused delight as Snape caught Lucius Malfoy off guard with another spell, knocking him to the floor. However, Mr. Malfoy struck back, a large cut etching its way across Snape's cheek. It bled freely and dripped onto the floor. Snape fought back and managed to disarm Mr. Malfoy for a few seconds (Expelliarmus!), giving himself the time to heal his wounded cheek and magically make the blood on the floor disappear. He was just about to try to finish the duel by using the Full Body Bind spell, but this time Lucius Malfoy surprised him.

"Sloraya!" Mr. Malfoy cried. A bright blue ray of light burst forth from his wand. It struck Snape, hurling him backward, but at the same time; it slowed him down severely, so that he moved as if he was an old man. Before he could counter, Lucius Malfoy struck him with the Leg Locker jinx, causing Snape to stumble over. A positive side effect was that Snape was knocked out of the time-altered area.

Though Snape's legs were impaired, the ability to use his wand wasn't. "Stupefy!" he roared over and over again. Several jets of red light soared through the air towards Lucius Malfoy. He was able to block the first two, but the third jet of light struck him in the right leg. Like Snape, Malfoy fell over on to the floor as his legs suddenly went numb. During this short period time in which Mr. Malfoy fell, Professor Snape was able to unlock his legs with the counter curse and quickly leap to his feet. Lucius Malfoy tried to jinx Snape so he could have the time to recover, but Snape easily blocked his enemy's spell aside. 

"Expelliarmus!" Snape cried. Lucius Malfoy's wand shot into the air out of his hand, and Snape pointed his wand at it. 'Accio Wand!" Snape caught his opponent's wand in his left hand and the match ended as the judge rang the bell again. The crowd roared with applause, and Harry, Hermione, and Ron felt extremely surprised that they were cheering along. Plus, it was very pleasurable to see Lucius Malfoy get what he deserved, though Mr. Weasley might have thought he deserved more than that. Unfortunately, contestants could not use any of the three Unforgivable Curses. Besides, it was forbidden by law for anyone to use them, anywhere, anytime.

"Ennervate," the judge said as he pointed his wand at Mr. Malfoy's legs. Lucius Malfoy was able to stand up, his legs no longer numb, and he and Snape returned to their separate locker rooms. 

While waiting for the next match to begin, Harry and Ron conversed their joy in Draco's father getting beaten by Snape, although they weren't completely happy for their Potion's teacher. Hermione, meanwhile, was still furiously writing in her notebook. Ginny was helping her, pointing out the different moves that Mr. Malfoy and Professor Snape used when casting their spells.

"Uh, Harry, why is your pocket glowing silver?" Ron asked. Harry's wand radiated with a silver glow as he removed it from his robes. This also caught Hermione's attention.

"How long has it been glowing?" Harry asked Ron quickly.

Ron slowly swallowed the lump in his throat. "Perhaps for the past twenty minutes," he muttered softly. Hermione's eyes widened slightly.

"Hermione, doesn't this mean that danger is near, or that it is coming soon?" Harry asked. Before she could answer, the locker room that Lucius Malfoy disappeared into suddenly exploded. The large wooden doorframe soared through the air, smashing into the large judge's chair. The judge himself was barely able to get himself out of the way before the door demolished his chair. To everyone's horror, several hooded and black-robed figures burst forth from the left locker room. They instantly began to cast magic, several stunning spells flying into the stands. Many people were instantly stunned and knocked unconscious once they were touched by the spells. The screams in the stadium got louder as the judge fell to the floor in a bright flash of green light. Harry knew he was dead.

"Damnit! Deatheater!" Mr. Weasley cried, pulling out his wand. He instantly grabbed Harry, Hermione, and Ron out of the aisle seats. "Molly, watch over Fred, George, and Ginny. Get them safely down to the grounds of the check-in desk!"

Harry could see that Fred, George, and Ginny had also gotten out their own wands. Lupin separated from the second group to join Mr. Weasley's group, staying close to Harry. They quickly raced up the stairs, racing to get up to the landing. Harry clutched his Firebolt tighter in his left hand as several seats to his right suddenly exploded into flames. 'The Deatheaters are not just here to have fun,' Harry thought as several more explosions erupted out from the stadium, 'they are here for me.'

Mr. Weasley turned them right once they reached the landing above the stadium, which led them straight into a pair of Deatheaters that were fighting off two Ministry guards. Lupin managed to hex one of the Deatheaters, but Mr. Weasley quickly led them a different way as the second Deatheater knocked the Ministry guards unconscious. Though they were running away, Harry managed to cast the Impediment curse on the two Deatheaters, keeping them from following.

The five of them continued to run along, until a Deatheater suddenly burst from a side aisle. With a quick curse, the Deatheater knocked Mr. Weasley and Professor Lupin away from Harry, Hermione, and Ron. This gave the Deatheater an open field to Harry.

"Stupefy!" the Deatheater roared. Hermione was the first to act. Thrusting her wand forward, she quickly deflected the jet of red light with a protecting charm that Snape had used. Instead of knocking them unconscious, the stunning spell flew into the nearest wall. It collided with several large lanterns, which exploded suddenly, knocking everyone backward. Harry and Ron fell backward, running into the railing that kept you from falling over the side of the floating stadium. The Deatheater's robes caught fire, and he frantically rolled around on the ground to put out the flames.

Harry quickly sprang to his feet, just in time to see Hermione go over the side of the railing. She was closest to the explosion, so she was propelled enough to go over the edge. "Hermione!" Harry cried. As he watched her fall over the edge, everything moved in slow motion. Despite three more Deatheaters charging toward them, Harry leapt on to his Firebolt and soared down after Hermione after jumping from the railing.

Hermione continued to scream as she fell, but the moment she saw Harry fly down towards her, she stopped and frantically reached out to him. Within seconds, Harry was able to fly below her and catch her on the way up. Sitting behind him on the Firebolt, Hermione's arms wrapped tightly around his waist again. Hermione's lips found their way to his face and she kissed his cheek, just like they did at the end of the last school year. Harry blushed deeply as he turned his broom upward and soared back to the stadium.

Harry and Hermione found Ron to be okay when they landed. Mr. Weasley and Lupin had gotten up just in time to stun the three Deatheaters that were getting closer. Distracted by Harry ad Hermione landing, the five of them didn't notice the first Deatheater cure the other three (Ennervate!), and then Disapparate with them.

"Harry! Hermione! Are you two okay?" Ron asked quickly.

"We're fine. You?" Hermione replied.

"I'm good. Dad's worried about the others, though."

Interrupting their conversation, Mr. Weasley and Lupin quickly moved them along. The stadium had begun to quit down. It seemed that all of the Deatheaters had gone.

Mr. Weasley found the others nearly ten minutes later. They had all faired badly. Fred and George had many cuts, and their robes were covered with their own blood. Alastor Moody was sitting in a chair, looking awfully upset and stressed. Mrs. Weasley stood next to her daughter, who was sobbing into her own robes. Besides the many cuts, bruises, and blood, everyone was all right.

"Is everyone okay? Where's Mundungus?" Lupin asked as he looked from Moody to Mrs. Weasley.

Ginny cried harder and turned away from the others.

"It was horrible, and yet very heroic, Remus," Mrs. Weasley whispered as she held Ginny in her arms.

"What happened, Molly dear?" Mr. Weasley asked.

Mrs. Weasley sighed softly. "A couple of Deatheaters had caught up to us. Fred and George fought gallantly. Alastor held off many more that came our way. But one Deatheater got through, and he tried to use the Cruciatus curse on poor Ginny. However, Mundungus jumped in front of her, and he took the full blast. He was tortured by it for so long. He is still alive, but only just. A few medical workers from St. Mungo's just took him away," Mrs. Weasley explained.

'Well then, I think it would be best to get back to your home, Arthur," Moody growled as he stood up from the chair.

They all flew back down together. Hundreds of other wizards were doing the same. After reaching the ground, Harry, Hermione, Lupin, Moody, and the Weasley's water portaled back to the Burrow.

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Author's Note: To all that were faithful and waited for this chapter, I am deeply sorry it has taken so long to get it written. I promise to have Chapter six written and typed up faster than this one. Please do enjoy, and I promise not to make the next Chapter as long as this one. Thank you.


	6. Sirius and the New Defense Against the D...

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Author's Note: Surprisingly, I was able to get this chapter up faster, although it isn't very long, so I apologize that it isn't very long. I didn't have much to really put in this chapter, but I promise the next one will be longer and much better. And, I don't own anything having to do with Harry Potter. Heh. I almost forgot that one.

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*Chapter 6: Sirius and the New Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher*

Nearly an hour after they had returned to the Burrow, an owl from the Ministry arrived for Mr. Weasley. It announced that the rest of the dueling matches were cancelled, and that the stadium in the air would be taken down and demolished. The Ministry obviously must have considered that their security was very lax and that it would be too hard for them to prepare for another attack, if there would ever be one.

After finally getting to read the memo, Ron tutted loudly. "Cornelius Fudge needs to wake op, or a good smack to the face. The Ministry of Magic should just stop creating special events, because when they do, something goes wrong and bad things happen. First, they organized the Quidditch World Cup and look what happened there. Deatheaters attacked and then Crouch's psychotic son shot the Dark Mark into the sky. Then they organized the TriWizard Tournament, and I don't even need to go into that. And now they come up with the Wizard Dueling Tournament, and yet again, there is a Deatheater attack. When will they all just wake up and realize that You-Know-Who is back?" Ron explained, gathering smirks from Fred and George. Their cuts had healed shut now.

"They will never realize ad accept the truth," Hermione muttered. Shortly after the Ministry memo came, a copy of the Evening Prophet came for Hermione.

"So what does it say?" Harry asked.

After reading over it thoroughly, Hermione threw the magazine aside in utter disgust. "Of course, they covered it up completely. They mentioned the Deatheaters, but they didn't even bother to try to connect it to Voldemort. They just assumed that it was a bunch of Voldemort's old supporters that wanted to have fun and show that they are still at large, just like last year at the World Cup. Imbeciles. Cornelius Fudge most have finally gotten control of the Daily Prophet.

Harry read it after Ron, and he agreed with Hermione, because he was disgusted as well. Mrs. Weasley came up moments later to tell them all that dinner was ready. 

Shortly after they had eaten, Harry and Ron passed the time by playing Wizard's chess, while Hermione began reading _The Standard Book of Spells: Grade Five by Miranda Goshawk_ again. They finally went to bed after Harry and Ron finished their sixth game.

Although there was an attempt on is life only hours earlier, Harry was calm enough to fall asleep. However, he did have difficulty staying asleep because he kept having the same graveyard nightmare over and over, each time it progressed further. He also found it difficult because his life was not the only one in danger now that Voldemort was back. He knew other families would suffer, and his worries that he had had at the beginning of the summer were beginning to come back.

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September 1st came closer, and Hermione became very strict towards their schoolwork. Sometimes it was almost unbearable for Harry and Ron to be around her. They would luckily pull themselves away from their rigorous studies to play Wizard's chess or go up to the wood clearing to practice Quidditch, under supervision of course. Apparently, Hermione was very concerned with their upcoming O.W.L.S. at the end of their fifth year. Harry expected that they were going to stay at the Weasley's home until September 1st, but he found out he was wrong. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley stopped them in the living room the day before they were to return to Hogwarts. "Boys, you need to get upstairs and pack your things quickly. Dumbledore contacted us just this morning. He wants us all to meet him in the Leaky Cauldron. Go tell the others and then come down for lunch."

After telling Hermione, Ginny, Fred, and George, Harry and Ron packed in awkward silence. "Do you think that something bad has happened, thus why Dumbledore wants to meet with us in the Leaky Cauldron?" Ron asked, looking at Harry with a hint of fear and worry in his eyes.

Harry's shoulders shrugged lightly. "Possibly. Then again, maybe he just wants us all to get to Hogwarts safely." He had almost said 'me' instead of 'us'.

After shutting and locking their trunks, the two young men carried them down the stairs. Harry and Ron met Hermione after they retrieved Hedwig and Pigwidgeon from Ron's room. She had her trunks with her, ready to go back to the Leaky Cauldron and Diagon Alley. "I am very curious to know why he wants to meet us there," Hermione muttered lightly as she set her trunk down next to Ginny's. Ron opened his mouth to give her a possible explanation when Mrs. Weasley strolled into the room. The look upon her face easily told them that she wasn't very happy. Obviously, she was uneasy about the plans that Dumbledore had arranged.

"Dumbledore better have a good reason for having us leave a day early. I still don't understand why the kids can't stay here," Mrs. Weasley muttered to her husband as she got out the small pot containing the Floo powder. She gave each person a handful before ushering them into the fireplace. Harry stepped towards the fire just as Ron disappeared into the green flames. "The Leaky Cauldron!" he cried. He was sucked suddenly in, and the next second he knew it, he was facing Ron in the middle of the small, dark pub. Hermione and the rest of the Weasley's stepped out of the fireplace right after Harry and Ron stepped aside. As usual, Mr. Weasley was carrying all of their trunks, levitating them a few feet from the ground.

Not many people were in the small, dark tavern. A few witches whispered to each other in the corner, while Tom, the bartender and room renter, washed down a few tables. Without a word or second glance to anyone, Harry, Hermione, and the Weasley's went up the wooden stairwell. Dumbledore came into view once they reached the landing. His long silver beard stood out the most in his appearance. Once his eyes looked at Harry through the half-moon spectacles, Harry thought he saw a tinge of worry in them.

"Ah, you are all here. Good, good," Dumbledore said as he slowly bent over. Wand in hand, Dumbledore began to slide the tip of his wand into what looked to be a normal Muggle plug socket.

"Professor Dumbledore, I'm not sure that what you are doing is such a good idea," Hermione began to say, expecting the headmaster to be shocked suddenly. To Harry's surprise, instead of getting shocked, Dumbledore stood back up. The tip of his wand radiated gold light. Seconds later, a door framed in gold light appeared in the middle of the wall where the plug socket was.

"Quickly, everyone inside," Mr. Weasley said, floating the trunks through the doorway after Dumbledore had opened it and stepped inside. The door disappeared behind them all after they had gotten inside. Harry found himself standing in a small living room with white walls and no windows. It was very odd that a room of this size could fit in between to inn rooms. Harry had the feeling that, somehow, Dumbledore had created this place for special uses with magic. It also occurred to Harry that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had been here before, since they knew exactly where they were going. Ron's mother joined Dumbledore in the small kitchen while the Weasley twins helped their father set the trunks aside and began to unroll several sleeping bags that materialized out of thin air.

Sitting on a small couch near the kitchen, Harry could hear Hermione talking to the Hogwart's headmaster. "Professor Dumbledore, how did you create this place?" Harry heard his best friend ask.

The silver bearded headmaster chuckled loudly. "A very good question, Miss Granger. This small apartment like place is hidden by powerful magics, as you may have already assumed. Only I can unlock it and make it appear to others. The process is close to using the Fidelius charm, but in this case, the person who is hiding the specific place can be the only one to make it appear. It does not involve a secret keeper."

Harry was distracted from hearing Dumbledore explain more to Hermione when Ron began to whisper quietly to him. "Charlie told me about a process similar to that. I guess back in the dark days when You-Know-Who was gaining power, a friend of his and his family hid in a place protected by that process, but he was absolutely sure that it wasn't the Fidelius charm," Ron explained.

Acknowledging what his other best friend said, Harry nodded slowly. He wanted to change the subject, because thinking about the Fidelius charm reminded him of his parents, and how Peter Pettigrew, 'Wormtail', had taken them away from him when he told Voldemort that the Potters were hiding in Godric's Hollow.

"Do you think that I will be able to become the Gryffindor Keeper, Harry?"

"I really hope so. It would be excellent to have you on the team. As a matter of fact, as soon as we get free time at school, you and I can go out to the Quidditch pitch and practice before they hold tryouts," Harry said with a small smile.

Dinner was soon ready, and Professor Dumbledore joined Fred and George in shooting off several of Filibuster's Fireworks afterwards. Fred and George, who were even planning on opening their own joke shop after graduating from Hogwarts, had even created their own fireworks. Their plan to open their own joke shop was kept secret from their mother of course, for Mrs. Weasley would murder them if she found out.

The twins enjoyed letting their golden snitch firework fly around the room, followed by a sparkly quaffle and two exploding bludgers. Ginny let out a small squeal when one of the bludgers exploded near her head.

Shortly after dinner, everyone began to get tired. Harry crawled into one of the small sleeping bags and scooted over to lie in between Ron and Hermione. He desperately suppressed a laugh when Hermione began to pull out a book to get some last minute studying in and Ron was frantically hissing at her to put it away. "Honestly, Hermione, term starts tomorrow. Give us a break," Ron said as he rolled over to go to sleep. Listening to Ron, for once, Hermione did slide the book back into her trunk.

"Well, I hope that my tutoring has brought you up to level for our Arithmancy class. Harry is doing excellent," Hermione muttered before also going to sleep. Harry remembered that she had helped tutor them both in the last few weeks at the Burrow. Looking one last time at his best friends before closing his eyes, Harry drifted off to sleep. It wasn't long before he was dreaming. At least, he thought he was dreaming. He felt something soft and furry brushing up against him through the sleeping bag.

"Go away, Crookshanks," Harry muttered sleepily. But it continued to brush up against his leg. Finally opening his eyes, Harry found the room to be dark. He could hear Dumbledore sleeping on the couch, a soft snore escaping from him. After waiting a few minutes for his eyes to adjust, Harry could finally see what was brushing up against him as he put on his glasses. A large black dog was silently sitting next to him. "Sirius," Harry whispered. Ron snorted lightly as Harry sat up.

Carefully sliding out of the sleeping bag so that he woke no one up, Harry quickly followed the black dog into the small bathroom down the hallway. After slowly transforming back to his human form, Sirius slowly shut the door behind them both.

Sirius Black was Harry's godfather, and he was still on the run from the Ministry of Magic, although the security had become quite lax over the last few months, according to Ron that is. To Harry's relief, Sirius hadn't been caught yet. He almost wished he could thank Cornelius Fudge for being such an ignorant man.

After sharing a brief hug, Sirius slowly sat down on the small white toilet, while Harry enjoyed resting on the edge of the sink counter. "How did you get here, Sirius?"

"Dumbledore let me in a few hours before you all arrived. I was hiding under the couch out there. He did it so I could see you before…" Sirius started to say.

Harry slowly raised an eyebrow. "Before what?" he asked.

"Nevermind," Sirius sighed. "Anyway, he did me a big favor by letting me come here to see you. Please thank him for me later."

"Well, I'm glad that you're okay, Sirius. I was beginning to worry a little." A little was nowhere near the truth. Besides the nightmares that plagued his mind from last year, Harry had kept his fear that Sirius would be caught by the Ministry deep down inside; he didn't even tell Ron or Hermione, which made him feel bad that he was keeping things from them.

"Listen, Harry. There is a very important reason why I came. I wanted to talk to you about something very important."

Harry quickly swallowed the lump in his throat. "About what?"

"Seeing as Voldemort is alive again, though some people are still having trouble believing it or people like Fudge choose not to, I want you to be extremely careful at school. I know that you might think things would be safe at Hogwarts since Dumbledore is there, but there is bound to be problems. I know it may be painful, but think of last year. Even though he was there, Dumbledore couldn't prevent the events that took place. Also, beware of any Ministry inspectors or workers that might come to Hogwarts. I wouldn't trust any of them. Since Fudge doesn't trust Dumbledore anymore, I wouldn't put it past him to keep a very close eye on the school."

"What about Snape?" Harry asked slowly.

"I wouldn't worry about him too much. I actually have seen him a few times this summer. If Dumbledore trusts Snape, then I believe you should try to do so as well."

Harry sighed loudly. Trust Snape? That would be the hardest thing for Harry to ever do, mostly because Professor Snape deeply hated Harry. He had also hated Harry's father, James Potter, when he was at Hogwarts with him. Remus Lupin had once told Harry before that Snape was jealous of James' skill at Quidditch. Snape also hated Harry's father for a joke that Sirius had played on him, in which James barely saved Snape's life.

"Sirius, did you get to read the article in the Daily Prophet about the incident at the Dueling Tournament at all?" Harry asked, shifting his feet.

"Yes, luckily I did. If you ask me, I am very surprised. You would think that they would want to stay quite, to keep everyone believing Fudge that Voldemort is not back. Honestly, I bet the Deatheaters did it not only for fun, but to throw everyone off. That attack is probably reaffirming that Voldemort is not back in Fudge's mind," Sirius explained, scratching his chin.

"Have you heard anything else, like any rumors?" Harry asked. It looked like his question surprised Sirius.

"Well, Harry, I haven't heard any _structured_ rumors," Sirius replied.

"And what do you mean by that?"

"I mean that the rumors I have heard are either lies or rumors that could possibly have some truth behind them. Dumbledore shares an idea with me concerning some of the rumors and events that took place years ago. We both think that Voldemort is looking for something. We don't know what, but knowing him, he is probably looking for some ancient artifact or something that could make him stronger. That is why he has been quiet. That is the main reason why I want you to be careful."

"Alright," Harry replied, slightly irritated. "I will be careful."

Sirius smiled softly. "Thank you." He looked like he was going to keep on talking until there was a knock on the bathroom door. Harry's heart almost burst from his chest.

"Don't worry, if anything goes wrong at school, write to me, Harry," Sirius whispered. He quickly pulled out a small trinket from his pocket, and with a suddenly loud pop, Sirius suddenly disappeared. Harry didn't think it was possible to apparate out of the secret hideout, but it obviously wasn't apparition since he used an item to do it. Before Harry could stand up, the door was opened lightly by Ron, who stuck his head through the gap.

"What are you doing in here, Harry?" he asked, though looking very tired. Harry felt his cheeks flush.

"Um…I was just thinking to myself."

"Well, could you please _think_ later, cause I really have to go to the bathroom!" Ron cried lightly, squirming where he stood.

"Yeah, sure," Harry muttered as he quickly walked past Ron. The bathroom door snapped shut, and Harry suppressed a small laugh. After almost stepping on George's head, Harry carefully and quickly climbed back into his sleeping bag without a sound.

So, not only was Dumbledore concerned for his safety, but Sirius was especially worried as well. It deeply bothered him, and the thought of Voldemort searching for an item or weapon to make him even more powerful was beginning to bother him even more than the thought of Dementors did.

Rolling over on to his left side, facing Hermione, Harry hoped that his first day back at Hogwarts would lift his spirits up. Just before he drifted off to sleep, after Ron had come back from the bathroom, one question remained in his mind. What was Sirius doing after his visit to Harry? He had begun to say what it was, but had stopped abruptly.

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The next morning, Harry woke up easily. He surprisingly wasn't feeling groggy or tired. Perhaps the excitement of returning to Hogwarts was finally getting to him. It also helped to know that he would be safe. After the attack at the Dueling tournament, Harry had become more tense and alert. It was almost as bad as the time of the end of the last school year. For the first month of summer, Harry was extremely alert, cautious, and sometimes afraid. He had always carried his wand in his pant's pocket. Bot now Harry was at ease, for he was finally going back to the castle.

Everyone took turns bathing and eating breakfast. Hermione accidentally spilled her hot porridge on Ron's lap when Ginny had tried to dry her hair faster with a spell and it backfired and caused the nearest lamp to burst into flames. Luckily, Ron hadn't showered, and Dumbledore put out the fire with a stream of water shooting out of the tip of his wand.

After Ron left to go take his shower, Harry took a seat next to Hermione, who had gotten a new bowl of porridge. "Good morning," she said with a bright smile. Harry nodded his head to her as he began to eat his own porridge. "By the way, Harry. Don't forget to put your Prefect badge on. Once we get on the Hogwart's Express, we have to attend a short Prefect meeting at the front of the train," Hermione explained. Listening to Hermione's words, Harry nodded and crossed over to his trunk, where he pinned his badge to his school robes.

Dumbledore left the Leaky Cauldron once Alastor Moody and several other wizards that Harry didn't recognize arrived. The large group then walked to King's Cross train station, trying very hard not to look conspicuous. Surprisingly, no one even noticed them, and Harry was sure that either Dumbledore or Moody put a spell on the whole group to hide them. Once reaching the barrier, everyone was able to slip right through with no one witnessing it.

"Have a wonderful year!" Mrs. Weasley cried as she kissed Harry, Hermione, Ron, Fred, George, and Ginny on the cheek. Meanwhile, Mr. Weasley was putting all of their trunks in a compartment. After telling everyone goodbye, the group of students clambered up the steps and made their way down the train to their compartment where Mr. Weasley had stored their trunks. Ginny followed Harry, Hermione, and Ron in, while Fred and George went to visit with their friend Lee Jordan, who was just a few compartments ahead.

The train slowly began to move as Harry set Hedwig's cage down next to him. The station faded from view, ad Harry was only into a few minutes of conversation with Ron about who would be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts this year when Hermione interrupted them by clearing her throat.

"Is there a problem?" Ron asked, seemingly annoyed.

"Not at all. It's just that Harry and I should get going up to the Prefect meeting at the front of the train. I really am curious to see who is Prefect for Slytherin. I swear, if Malfoy got it…" Hermione explained, trailing off with an agitated sigh.

"See you," Harry muttered to Ron as he followed Hermione out of the compartment and down the hallway. He could see that the scenery outside had changed, and that they were now entering the countryside as he looked out windows as they passed several compartments on the way to the front of the train.

After a few minutes of walking past full compartments and running into people they knew (Harry almost tripped and knocked Hermione over when Cho waved to him, surprisingly looking calm and happy), Hermione opened up the wooden sliding door to a compartment that was larger than the others. It didn't seem larger outside, but once you entered, it seemed to be greatly expanded. Harry had the obvious distinct feeling that it had been expanded by magic, just like the inside of Mr. Weasley's old Ford Anglia before it went wild and fled into the Forbidden Forest.

Several people were already in the room, and a rush of hot anger hit Harry as he found Malfoy to be one of them. He was sitting next to Pansy Parkinson, a fellow 5th year Slytherin. They obviously had gotten Prefect badges. Harry noticed that Hermione also looked slightly disgruntled at the sight of Malfoy with a badge.

Harry and Hermione sat slightly away from the others. Some of the new Prefects from the other houses glared at him. He recognized Hannah Abbot and Justin Finch Fletley from Hufflepuff, and they smiled warmly. Hermione opened her mouth to greet them but a tall boy to their left stood up. The badge on his chest read Headboy, and from the color of his robes, he was in Ravenclaw. "Now listen up, you lot. You have been given the great honor of becoming Prefects. My name is Brian Abernathy. I am the new Headboy for Hogwarts, and I am in Ravenclaw should you need to contact me. You are all here to be told the rules and responsibilities to being Prefects," he rambled on.

Out of the corner of his eye, Harry could see Malfoy roll his eyes. He would have laughed, because he also thought this Brian Abernathy was boring, but laughing at something that Draco Malfoy thought was funny was actually very crude.

For the next twenty minutes, Harry toned out what Brian was saying about Prefects not being able to dock points from Houses, that they were only allowed to give warnings. However, there was a small loophole that allowed them to take points away and give detentions only in extreme circumstances.

Eventually, the meeting finally ended, and the new Prefects followed by the Headboy and Headgirl began to file out of the compartment. Just as Harry and Hermione reached the door, Brian turned around and noticed him. "Ah, well, if it isn't Harry Potter. It must be so convenient for you now that Dumbledore has made you a Prefect," he sneered before stepping rudely past Hermione and walking the opposite way.

"What's his problem?" Hannah asked as she watched Brian disappear into a compartment.

Harry shrugged his shoulders. "No clue," he muttered as he walked back towards the compartment where Ron and Ginny were.

"You think that being Headboy would make you respect others," Hermione said as they slid open the door and took their seats with their friends.

"So how did it go?" Ron asked as he opened a chocolate frog package. "Oh, don't worry. Ginny and I got snacks for you two also."

After sitting down, Harry and Hermione explained about the meeting, much to Ron's amusement.

"Seriously, Ron. This Brian Abernathy would make Percy look like Fred or George. He is that strict," Hermione said with a small glare.

"And the way he talked to me, he and Malfoy could become best friends," Harry breathed out as he grabbed a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans.

"Speaking of Malfoy, did he get a Prefect badge?" Ron asked.

Both Harry and Hermione remained silent.

"Damnit," Ron muttered, looking very disgusted. He was so disgusted; he stopped eating the snacks that they bought.

"Well, at least he can't take points away from people whenever he wants," Harry said as he reached for a pasty.

"None of us can," Hermione whispered before staring at Ginny.

The young red head was coughing violently before she finally spit out a small chewed up jellybean. "Disgusting," she managed to get out as she frantically grabbed for a chocolate frog to make the bad taste go away.

"Um, Ginny. Could you please tell me what flavor that bean was?" Ron asked.

"Why?" Ginny asked angrily.

Ron's ears turned a light pink color. "Well, I'd rather have you tell me so that I don't have to try tasting it myself."

Harry laughed and Hermione looked slightly like she was going to gag.

The topic of discussion finally got away from the coughed up jellybean and moved on to other subjects. As usual, Hermione immersed herself in _The Standard Book of Spells: Grade Five._ Harry even joined her for a few minutes when she was reading over how to apply the Lumos and Nox spells to other objects besides wands. She even demonstrated on the lamps above (Nox candles!), and Harry followed suit by turning them back on after a few tries. Although Ron hated studying early, he eventually gave in, trying the spells out himself.

The sun soon fell on the horizon, and Harry was getting especially anxious to see the many towers of the old castle.

"The train will arrive at Hogwarts in five minutes," the driver announced over the train's magical COM. 

After hurriedly putting books, snacks, and other items back into their trunks, Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny left their compartment as the train came to a halt. Following after students down the steps off of the train, Ginny left them to join other fourth years. Reaching the carriages, Harry climbed in after Hermione, followed by Ron and Neville. Unfortunately, Harry didn't see or hear Hagrid.

"Hello Harry, Ron, Hermione," Neville said cheerfully.

They all welcomed him warmly, and Hermione took the inniative to say what Harry was about to. "Oh Neville, I am so happy for you." Harry and Ron quickly nodded, indicating that they were happy for him too. Neville beamed.

"Thanks," he whispered as the carriages hurtled forward. Just as they began to get closer to the castle, a steady rain began to fall. Professor McGonagall allowed them to enter the Great Hall after clambering out of the carriages.

Harry shook the rainwater off of his cloak as he sat down at the Gryffindor table. It felt incredibly great to be back for Harry. The huge hourglasses, the thousands of candles floating above; all of it eased Harry. Ron joined him in looking up at the staff table. Professor Dumbledore sat in his high chair. Both of their eyes trailed down the seats. Snape was still indeed sitting in his usual chair, much to their disgust. Next to him was a man that Harry curiously recognized. After trying to remember who he was for several minutes, it finally clicked in his mind. He glanced over at Neville, who was smiling and waving up to the man. Frank Longbottom, Neville's father, was to be the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.


	7. The Quidditch Tryouts

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Author's Note: I finally got the next chapter up, so I hope it satisfies all of you who have been patiently waiting for it to come out. And Marjorie, I hope this chapter satisfies you so you'll quit bugging me about updating. *smirks* Please read, review, and enjoy. I hope it isn't too odd of a chapter.

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*Chapter 7: The Quidditch Tryouts*

"Neville, I thought your Dad was an Auror," Harry said as many new first years entered the Great Hall in one long line, Professor McGonagall leading them towards the staff table.

"He was. He still is, in my mind. But for some reason, Cornelius Fudge fired him shortly after he accepted the Defense Against the Dark Arts job," Neville explained in a low whisper. Hermione's eyebrows moved upward in a questioning look.

Although Harry wanted to ask Neville another question, he could hear Professor McGonagall in the background saying, "Now when I call your name, you will put on the Sorting Hat and sit upon the stool."

"Wait a minute. The Sorting Hat didn't sing a song for this year yet." The few people around Ron that had heard him also realized this and began to look at the old hat with great interest and suspicion.

Harry looked back up to all of the first years, anxiously looking to see how many were left because his stomach was beginning to growl at him. He almost couldn't wait for the golden plates to begin magically filling up with food, all thanks to the many house elves that were probably making all of the food below them at that very moment.

Professor McGonagall had gotten halfway through the parchment list when Harry went back to paying attention. "Stugrave, Margaret" became a Ravenclaw just before "Summers, Alexander" became a Gryffindor, in which Harry cheered loudly for with the rest of his house. The Sorting soon ended, and the Sorting Hat was taken away by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, who was closely tailed by Mrs. Norris, Filch's creepy cat. Professor McGonagall then sat in her chair behind the staff table.

All eyes were suddenly looking at the long staff table when Dumbledore slowly stood from his chair. He cleaned his throat loudly before speaking. "Welcome to another, new year at Hogwarts. I hope that it shall be a wonderful and safe year for all of you. Let the feast begin!"

Several people almost cheered as the many golden plates filled with food: piles of chicken, mashed potatoes smothered in gravy, and so much more. Ron all but practically dove into the food, and Harry followed suit. Hermione at as well, but not as hasty as her male best friends. She would have been repulsed, but she was indeed very hungry after the long train ride from the King's Cross Station.

In between bites, Harry glanced along the Gryffindor table. Several of his fellow classmates sat down the row, including Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnigan, and Parvati Patil. Fred and George Weasley sat a few seats away, talking to their friend Lee Jordan. "Hi, Harry."

Not knowing who greeted him, Harry turned his head frantically until his eyes fell upon Cho. He could feel his face fluster lightly when he greeted her back. "How was your summer?" she asked.

Images of that night during the previous year in the dark cemetery flashed through Harry's mind, but he quickly blocked them. "It was alright. Yours?"

Cho hesitated, and Harry realized a little too late that maybe he shouldn't have asked the same question back. "Sorry," Harry muttered slowly.

"No, it's okay. Well, I guess I'll se you later, Harry," Cho said before she started to walk backwards toward the Ravenclaw table.

"Well, that was eventful," Hermione muttered as she finished eating. At her remark, Ron snorted loudly into his bowl of vanilla pudding. Little bubbles blossomed at the edges of the white pudding. Harry glared daggers at them both, though Hermione was also glaring at Ron for some strange reason. She opened her mouth to speak but was stopped from saying anything when all of the plates emptied of food, becoming magically clean once again. Dumbledore stood again, and the hall went quiet.

"A note to all first years and to those who have forgotten. The Forbidden Forest is off limits to all students. Quidditch will start up again this year, and the field is back to normal. The trials will be held in the second week of term. If you would like to tryout for a position, being second year or above, please contact either your house's Quidditch captain or Madam Hooch."

"Who got captain this year?" Harry asked as he turned to Fred and George.

"Katie Bell did," they replied. Harry's eyes widened in surprise.

"Why didn't Angelina get it? I thought that she would have gotten it," Ron said.

"She quit," Ginny whispered, since Angelina was sitting nearby, not listening to Dumbledore as she stared at the plate in front of her.

"What? Why?" Harry asked.

"She had an accident this summer while training. Angelina was lucky she didn't die. But when she got the letter from Dumbledore and McGonagall, she declined it," Fred explained.

Harry just sat in stunned silence before listening to Dumbledore again.

"I would also like to welcome a new member to our staff, Mr. Frank Longbottom. He will be taking up the post as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher." At this news, several students applauded. Harry could see through the crowd, however, that Draco was not among them.

"Alas. It is time for us all to tuck in. Prefects, please lead the first years to your separate houses."

As all of the students began exiting the Great Hall, Hermione waved her hand above her head, Harry joining her after a few seconds. "First years, this way!" they cried together.

The Gryffindor first years followed Harry and Hermione straight up the marble staircase and through several hidden passageways before they stopped before the portrait of the Fat Lady. Harry briefly went down memory lane, remembering what it was like when he first arrived at Hogwarts. It was Percy, Ron's brother, who was the Prefect in their first year.

"Password?" the Fat Lady asked slowly.

"Butterbeer," Hermione said loudly so that all of the first years could hear. At her words, the large portrait swung open, revealing the thin passageway that lead into the Gryffindor common room. The two best friends waited patiently as the new first years went single file into the passageway.

"When did you get the password?" Harry asked Hermione as they followed the first years in, seconds before the Fat Lady's portrait closed behind them.

"Brian Abernathy wrote it down on a piece of parchment. I tried to tell you, but you weren't paying attention," Hermione answered with a small sigh.

Harry directed the boys up the spiral staircase to their dormitories, while Hermione did the same with the girls. As soon as all of the first years were up to their dormitories, Harry and Hermione faced each other at the bottom of the stairs. "Goodnight, Harry," Hermione said as she stifled a yawn.

"Night, Hermione," he replied. They both turned and walked up their separate staircases, Harry climbing the stone steps and entering his dormitory moments later.

"There you are. What took you so long?" Ron asked. Ron, Neville, Seamus, and Dean were sitting on the edge of their beds, presumably talking to each other.

"Prefect duties," Harry mumbled as he crossed over to his four-poster.

"With Hermione?" Seamus asked.

"Yes, with Hermione. Why do you ask?"

Seamus didn't answer Harry's question. Instead, he and Dean sniggered lightly.

"What?" Harry asked angrily.

"It's nothing. Forget about it, Harry," Dean mumbled as he climbed into his bed. Seamus did the same, and they were both asleep barely five minutes later.

"Do you know what they were talking about?" Harry asked Ron and Neville, a quizzical look upon his face.

Both Ron and Neville shook their heads. "Whatever it was, they were talking about it before we came up," Ron said.

"The moment we came in they stopped talking," Neville chimed in,

"I'm tired. I hope you two don't mind if I go to sleep," Ron said sarcastically. Harry agreed with him. It was nearly midnight, and he knew that he'd have to get up early the next morning to begin classes.

The lights were soon out and it wasn't long before a soft snore escaped from Neville.

Harry's mind was spinning. So much had happened in the last two days. He had spoken to Sirius, who gave Harry warnings about Voldemort. He hadn't noticed it until now that his scar had been prickling when he talked to Brian Abernathy. Dumbledore was obviously concerned, or else he wouldn't have hidden them away in the Leaky Cauldron. Not only was he despised by some students, Seamus and Dean were obviously talking about he and Hermione. The new school year was already getting off to an interesting start.

*---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------*

He dreamt he had been swimming in a very dark lake. The water was very deep, and it chilled him straight to the bone when he went underneath the surface. Harry swam for what seemed to be hours, not even needing air. He found that his head was incased by a Bubble Head charm.

Finally, Harry had reached the bottom of the lake, where a small gold ring glistened under the light of his wand that was in his right hand. He reached out for it and was barely able tog rasp it in his hand when something powerful tugged him towards the water's surface. The charm around his head disappeared, allowing him to breathe normal air. Several men and women were gathered near the edge of the lake, and Harry somehow knew that he was in big trouble. That is until he finally woke up, almost falling out of his four-poster bed with a semi-loud thud.

"You alright there, mate?" Ron asked.

"I think so."

"What were you dreaming about? It didn't have anything to do with You-Know-Who, did it?" Ron asked, a hint of fear in his voice.

"No, I don't think so. I would remember that. I think I was swimming underwater, looking for something. Whatever I was looking for, I wanted it badly, and I had found it before I woke up," Harry explained slowly.

"What are you doing in here?" Ron asked suddenly. Turning his head, Harry found Hermione to be standing in the doorway.

"I came to see if you two were coming down to breakfast. We're going to be late getting our schedules from Professor McGonagall," she said softly.

"Of course we're coming! Harry and I were just talking about his dream."

"What kind of dream?" Hermione asked, clearly interested. When she noticed that Harry was still in her pajamas, her face flushed a dark red before she turned her back to the both of them.

"It's not important now. I can tell you later but right now we should get down to breakfast," Harry said as he ushered them out so he could get dressed. After stripping himself of his pajamas, Harry put on his Gryffindor cloak over his dress clothes, hooking the cloak on by the tassels. Harry met Hermione and Ron down in the common room and together they walked out of Gryffindor tower, heading down the marble staircase to enter the Great Hall.

No sooner had the three sat down at their table, Professor McGonagall passed by, handing out their class schedules. "Damnit, we've got Snape this afternoon, and we're still with the Slytherins," Ron moaned with great frustration.

"Hmm. That's odd. We usually don't have him on our first day of classes. Oh look! We've got Herbology first this morning," Hermione said as she propped her schedule up against the milk jug.

"What day do we have Arithmancy?" Harry asked. He was too busy scooping some of the scrambled eggs on to his plate to look at his schedule.

"Tomorrow and Thursday. Can you pass the sausages, Harry?" Ron asked. Reaching over the large bowl of hash browns, Harry passed it to him.

A loud rustling from above confirmed that it was time for the mail to arrive. Harry looked up, hoping to see Hedwig in the large swarm of owls that came raining down. Unfortunately, his snowy white owl was not among them. A small, brown owl brought Hermione her copy of the Daily Prophet, and as usual, Neville received a package that most likely contained items he had forgotten at home.

Harry slipped his sidebag on to his shoulder once he finished eating. The golden plate and silverware before him magically cleaned themselves.

The loud school bell echoed throughout the halls, and the students began to file out of the Great Hall. Harry watched the Slytherins head up the marble staircase, while the Ravenclaws headed towards the dungeons. He stopped walking when he saw Cho waving to him, but continued towards the front door when Hermione angrily nudged him forward.

The Gryffindors crossed the wet lawn to head towards the greenhouses. Harry glanced over towards Hagrid's hut and was deeply disappointed when the windows were still dark. Fang was tied outside in the back, barking loudly when he saw the students.

Professor Sprout met them outside of the greenhouses. "It's Greenhouse Three today!" she cried as they approached, the Hufflepuffs shortly behind. With the arrival of all of her students, Professor Sprout turned and unlocked the door, entering the greenhouse with the students behind her. As usual, Harry, Hermione, and Ron gathered around the same tray. Justin Finch Fletley from Hufflepuff soon joined them.

"Please put on your gloves," Professor Sprout chimed. "Good. Now can any of you tell me what kind of plant you have before you?"

To no one's surprise, Hermione's hand was first into the air. "Yes, Miss Granger?"

"It is the plant known as Alihotsy," Hermione said.

"Excellent. Can anyone tell me what dangerous property it has?" Professor Sprout asked.

This time, Hermione was shockingly beaten by Neville, his hand wiggling above his head in a rapid motion. "The leaves can cause hysteria, which could lead to accidental death if consumed."

"Wonderful! Thirty points to Gryffindor. In front of you, there are two Alihotsy in each tray. They are usually planted by the Forbidden Forest, but I brought them into the greenhouse today. Professor Dumbledore has asked that my classes peel all of the leaves off carefully. He is concerned that a wild beast from the forest may eat them and go on a rampage. Or worse, it could die," Professor Sprout explained.

Harry and Hermione exchanged nervous looks. "Get to it, then!" the Herbology professor cried.

For nearly an hour and a half, the Gryffindors and the Hufflepuffs busied themselves with peeling the leaves off of the alihotsy plants. The bell that rang out over the grounds stopped them from their work, and students from both houses quickly hurried back to their common rooms to wash up before their next class. Unfortunately, the Gryffindors had to go to Double Potions with the Slytherins, all thanks to their new schedule.

"Usually, I wouldn't trust such pathetic fifth years to concoct such a dangerous potion, but there is a select few of you that have the ability of doing it. Plus, it is possible that you may be questioned about it in your O.W.L.S. at the end of the year. I mentioned this potion on your very first day you all had my class. Can anyone tell me what potion I speak of?" Snape growled.

Hermione's hand was in the air, and Snape ignored her like he always did. "No one can answer? How unsurprising." With a quick wave of his wand, Snape made the directions to making the _Draught of the Living Death_ appear upon the chalkboard. "Get to work," he snarled.

"That's odd. Usually he teaches the lesson to us first. He must be really busy," Hermione whispered to Harry as she waited for her water to boil in her cauldron. Harry nodded his head in reply before looking forward. His eye caught Malfoy, who was looking back at Harry with a malicious smile on his face, almost as if he knew something that Harry didn't. It was obvious that he did. Malfoy's father was a Deatheater after all.

Harry ignored him and returned to making his potion, using the powdered root of asphodel that Snape had set out for their class. Most likely it had come from the private cupboards in his office. The water inside his cauldron turned a murky yellow after adding the asphodel, and turned a dark gray once the infusion of wormwood was put in last. Harry made sure that he had followed the directions carefully before putting it into a small glass vial. He even finished before Hermione had.

"Your summer work, Potter?" Snape asked as Harry placed his vial in a holder on Snape's desk.

"Here you go, Professor," Harry muttered slowly, handing Snape his work. For once, the Potion's master didn't criticize him, and Harry was allowed to return to his seat peacefully. The class had been surprisingly good until Neville's potion suddenly exploded from the cauldron. The contents rained down upon the class.

"Detention, Longbottom. Scourgify!" Snape muttered. His wand gave of a small red glow before making the contents of Neville's potion disappear in a bright burst of orange light. The room was no longer messy, and the robes of the students were clean.

Seeing that all of the vials had been collected, Snape angrily dismissed them nearly fifteen minutes early.

"Like having us make a complicated potion wasn't enough, that bloody git assigned us this stupid essay," Ron fumed as he slumped into an armchair next to the fireplace.

"Why don't you just shut up and do your essay, Ron? Hermione said as she began to work on her own. Harry laughed as he got out a roll of parchment and a quill. Ron just stared at her with disgust.

"Harry, didn't you say we could go down to the Quidditch pitch and practice? We have about an hour before dinner."

"Sure. Just wait until I finish my essay," Harry replied, drawing out a groan of frustration from Ron.

*---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------*

Harry smiled as he looped around the goal hoops, the wind howling by. Ron was flying nearby, and he had the quaffle in his arms. "Come on, Harry!" he called as he hurled the red ball into the air. Harry easily caught it, pulling out of an easy dive with his gleaming Firebolt.

Flying at top speed, Harry soared down the middle of the field, heading towards the three hoops. Ron hovered in front of the right hoop, probably trying to anticipate which goal Harry was going to try to throw the quaffle through. Making his decision, Harry threw the quaffle through the air towards the left hoop. Ron easily caught it, his Nimbus Two-Thousand and One aiding him with speed.

Nearly a half-an-hour later, Harry and Ron left the pitch and started to walk back towards the castle. When they arrived at the main doors, a shadowy figure stepped out from behind on of the large statues. "It's not very wise to be out at night, Potter. Especially since it is your first day as a Prefect." Harry turned to see Brian Abernathy, the Headboy, leaning against the stone statue by the doorway.

"W were only practicing," Ron said softly.

"Team practices don't start until next week."

"I was only helping Ron practice so that he can try out for the team next week. There isn't anything against Prefect rules in doing that, now is there?" Harry asked with a small tone in his voice. Brian didn't answer, and Harry and Ron headed inside. After placing their brooms back up in the dormitory, Harry and Ron hurried back down to the Great Hall and sat next to Hermione.

"There you are. I was beginning to wonder what was taking so long," she mumbled.

"Sorry, but we were stopped by the new Bigheadboy. You were right, Hermione. He is pretty bad," Ron replied, digging into the food once it appeared.

*---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------*

The rest of the week went by surprisingly fast. Hagrid was indeed still gone, and Professor Kettleburn had reluctantly come back to take his place until he returned. He was teaching them about Jarveys, which were creatures that resembled overgrown ferrets. The only thing that was really interesting about them to Harry was that they could talk and that they lived underground.

Harry and Ron also experienced their first Arithmancy class with Hermione, which turned out to be quite difficult after they learned a brand new lesson involving numbers and the way that they had to deal with the possible characteristics of a person in the future.

Professor McGonagall was just as strict as she always was. Today, she was making them take notes on the advanced process of cross species switches and turning larger inanimate objects into animals, as well as animals into large inanimate objects. Harry's hand ached lightly as he continued to write down what she was saying, dipping his quill into his inkbottle every few seconds.

The class that everyone had been looking forward to was Defense Against the Dark Arts, for some of the older students told them that Professor Longbottom taught them some interesting spells. Some even said he was almost as good as Moody was, but then again, they didn't know that it wasn't really Alastor Moody who taught them the previous year.

On the first day that they had it, Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Neville were the first to arrive at class.

"Good afternoon," Mr. Longbottom said slowly. He hesitantly stood up from his chair behind the large wooden desk as the rest of the class came in. Harry sat with between Hermione and Ron near the front of the room.

Hermione began to pull out her old Defense Against the Dark Arts book. Mr. Longbottom quickly caught her eye, speaking with a firm voice. "You won't be needing and books during class for the first time. You might when you have to do homework, but not in class during the first term. However, during Christmas break you will have to buy one because we will be using it next term." Hermione's hand rose into the air. "A question, Miss Granger?"

"Yes, sir. What is the title of that certain book?" she asked. Ron snorted softly.

Professor Longbottom chuckled lightly at her question. "I figured that would be your question. My son and fellow colleagues have informed me that you are quite the bookworm, and that you are at the top of your class."

Hermione's face flushed red, and Harry sent her a small, mischievous grin.

"Unfortunately, Miss Granger, I can not give you the book's name so soon. But do not worry. You will have plenty of time to read it over the holidays." Several students groaned, yet Hermione's face still remained red.

"I see that Professor Moody showed you the Unforgivable Curses. They are truly something you don't want to have to experience. I myself am a victim of the Cruciatus curse, and it is pain beyond anything you could imagine," he explained.

Harry agreed deep down inside. In the graveyard on that dark night, Voldemort had tortured Harry with the Cruciatus curse, and Harry recalled it feeling like white-hot knives piercing his skin. He shuddered lightly, and Mr. Longbottom noticed.

"Potter knows what I'm talking about. I'm quite certain that it was used on him by the Dark Lord." Ron nearly fell backward out of his chair and Parvati accidentally knocked all of her books onto the floor when she dropped her bag. The room stayed quite for a few moments, in which Ron was able to re-steady himself.

"Could you please all get out your wands? This year we will be covering defensive and offensive spells. Defensive spells will be used to protect yourself and others, while the offensive spells will obviously be powerful curses and hexes that you can use to stop your foes. Please stand."

The Gryffindors left their desks and lined up in the back of the room. With a wave of his own wand, Professor Longbottom moved the desks to the sides of the room carefully so that all of the books didn't fall off on to the floor.

"The spell you will be using today is an absorbing spell. It will take the shape of whatever spell it can repel. It is mainly used to absorb and stop spells that deal with the elements of nature. I will cast a minor curse or hex upon you all, and you will use the spell to absorb my spell. Repeat the following words: Absorsus!"

"Absorsus!" the class called back.

"Good. To make the spell work, you must concentrate as hard as possible on the element or object that can repel the curse I will cast upon you. Cast the absorbing spell, and think as hard as possible."

One by one, each Gryffindor came forward and Professor Longbottom cast a hex or curse on them. Parvati was the first to falter, and her legs suddenly locked together. Professor Longbottom cast the counter curse, and her legs quickly sprang apart so she could walk normally.

"Potter."

Harry stepped forward and began to concentrate as hard as he could. "Incendio!" Professor Longbottom cried. A huge fireball burst from the tip of his wand and soared through the air towards Harry. 

'A fire spell…water repels fire,' Harry thought in his mind. "Absorsus!" he cried when the fireball got closer. Harry gasped lightly as the fireball was suddenly stopped and surrounded by a purple field of magic that looked like a large sphere of water. Both quickly grew smaller before disappearing with a loud sizzling sound.

"Good, good. Well, look at the time. 30 points to Gryffindor for an excellent lesson. You may all leave," Professor Longbottom said. With another wave of his wand, the desks returned to their original places.

"That was very interesting. I can't wait to write essays in that class," Hermione breathed out with excitement as she swung her heavy bag onto her shoulder.

"He's not going to have us write essays until after holiday break," Neville said as he walked up behind them. "Just take notes on everything."

Once they got back to the common room through the portrait of the Fat Lady, Neville went to put his books away as Ginny approached them from the sofa next to the fireplace.

"Harry, what day are Quidditch tryouts for Gryffindor going to be held? I unfortunately forgot."

Harry hesitated slightly. He was surprised that Ginny would ask about Quidditch.

"It's supposed to be Monday afternoon before dinner. Why did you want to know?" Harry asked.

"Thanks!" Ginny cried before dashing out of the common room.

"What was that about?" Ron asked with a quizzical look upon his face.

Harry shook his head. "I don't know. Let's quickly put our books upstairs and get down to dinner."

*---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------*

With so much food in his stomach, Harry quickly drifted off to sleep once he crawled under the sheets on his bed. He dreamt about many things. The image of Hagrid stayed solid in his mind. From where Harry was situated in his own dream, he realized that Hagrid was heading towards Hogsmeade. 'Probably toward the Three Broomsticks,' Harry thought. But in his dream, where was he at? Harry knew he was high up in the air.

Harry felt a cool breeze on his face, and he realized that he was flying up high on his Firebolt inside the Quidditch pitch. It was soon confirmed when Katie Bell soared by, followed by Ginny. Harry suddenly did a double take in surprise. Ginny!? What was she doing playing Quidditch, let alone being on a broomstick? He tried to turn his Firebolt, but it wouldn't budge. The Firebolt continued to fly forward. Suddenly, as if someone had grasped his head and turned it, Harry's face forcefully looked back down at Hogsmeade. Green light was emanating from the Three Broomstick's pub.

The Firebolt quickly left the Quidditch pitch and soared toward the small village. As he got closer, his vision blurred before blacking out. A cold, eerie laughter echoed in his head before a single voice spoke. "We will take the one who knows, for she will be crucial to the plan."

Harry quickly sat up. The intense amount of sweat caused his pajamas to cling to his body. The sun was barely beginning to rise when he climbed out of his bed and looked out the window. Remembering that he had seen Hagrid in his dream, Harry quickly looked down to his hut that was on the school grounds. To his disappointment, the lights were still off, and it looked like no one had been there for a few months. He sighed as he knelt down next to his trunk. Reaching inside, he pulled out a towel and some clean clothes. Maybe a bath in the Prefect bathroom would calm him down. As long as Moaning Myrtle wasn't there to spy on him, that is.

*---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------*

Harry, Hermione, and Ron spent the whole of Saturday afternoon getting their homework done. It took quite a lot of time to finish off Snape's essay completely. They ended their night playing Wizard's chess and Exploding Snap. Crookshanks curled up in Hermione's lap as she watched her nest friends battle on the chessboard.

Luckily, Harry was able to sleep without having any dreams that woke him in the night. By time Sunday afternoon came around, he couldn't remember anything about the strange dream he had for his head was filled with too many other thoughts.

Shortly after dinner, Ron dragged Harry out once again to the Quidditch pitch for last minute practice before the tryouts that would take place the very next day. Just as they arrived outside of the locker rooms, Ginny suddenly emerged from the room within.

"What were you doing in there?" Ron asked angrily.

The young girl's face flushed. "Nothing. I was only looking for something," she whispered.

"Did you find it?" Harry asked.

"No, I didn't find hi…it," she said quickly before running up towards the castle.

"Strange," Ron muttered. "Oh well." He and Harry proceeded into the locker room to change into some Quidditch robes. Unfortunately, Ron couldn't because he wasn't a team member. Shortly after they began to practice, Hermione came out to watch them. As usual, Harry took the Quaffle and soared towards the goal hoops. Ron saved all but one.

"Hermione, you should come join us," Harry said as he flew by, pausing to hover near her.

At his suggestion, Hermione gave a small sarcastic laugh as a response. "I don't think so. Even if I had a broom, I still wouldn't. I don't like heights," she said.

"I noticed by how hard you held on at that Dueling tournament." Hermione's face flushed a few shades of crimson.

Harry grinned suddenly in an odd way. "What is it?" Hermione asked.

"Hold on," he replied.

Hermione raised her eyebrows lightly before crying out in surprise. From behind her, Ron had flown up and had been holding the Quaffle in his hand. It looked as if he was going to throw it.

"Ron, what are you doing?" Without answering Hermione's question, Ron hit the back of her seat with the Quaffle, causing Hermione to be pitched forward, falling over the railing. As if they had planned it, Harry had turned his broom and backed up so that Hermione came to land on the back of it.

"Harry, please don't," she said lightly, trying to catch her breath. Just in case her plea failed her hands quickly grabbed on to him yet again. She realized later that she had been very wise to do so. 

The Firebolt flew forward and Harry instantly began to do several loops. Hermione cried out in part fear, part excitement every time. Ron followed close behind, laughing so hard he almost fell off of his broom.

"If you two ever do that again, I will curse you to the point that you won't be able to find a countercurse," Hermione said, her face still red. Ron swallowed the small lump in his throat, while Harry just smiled.

"If that happens, Hermione, you can always try to use CPR on me again," Harry said. Ron looked at the two of them with an odd look upon his face. Harry just laughed as Hermione quickly buried her bright face in a book as soon as she could pull one out of her bag.

"Password?" the portrait of the Fat Lady asked when they came up to it.

"Phoenix tears," Harry said. The portrait swung open, and Harry, Hermione, and Ron proceeded into the common room. Later, up in their dorm room, Ron quickly fell asleep. Harry, however, stayed awake several hours, staring out the window from his bed, looking up at the starry night sky. 

Harry woke in the morning and hurried to the Great Hall for breakfast. Ron was there, already eating, but Hermione was nowhere to be seen. "Finally. I was wondering when you would wake up," Ron said as Harry sat down next to him and made a grab for the plate of bacon.

"Where's Hermione?" Harry asked.

Ron shrugged. "No idea. She's probably in the library going over her essay for Snape's class for the 50th time." Harry laughed lightly, almost choking on his porridge that he just got.

When it was time to go to Snape's class in the afternoon, Harry was very surprised when he sat down on his stool. The little sheet of parchment attached to his potion vial confirmed that he got a perfect grade, which was a first in this class. When Ron saw it, he dropped his own potion vial, which shattered when it hit the ground. The contents of his potion remained on the floor with the small shards of glass.

"Oh no! Quick, help me clean it up before Snape sees!" Ron cried.

"Too late, Weasley," a deep voice said. Professor Snape had come up behind the three, and the look upon his face could have frozen fire.

As Snape inched closer, Harry could see Ron begin to swallow nervously. "If you were paying attention, Weasley, you would know that you need that potion for the experiment we are going to do next week. Since you now have no potion, you will come back this afternoon to make another potion," he growled.

"Please Professor. I have Quidditch tryouts this afternoon before dinner. I beg of you, please don't make me miss it," Ron whined. His face had turned a dark shade of green.

Snape's eyes flared before suddenly calming. "You will come back here after dinner, then." Ron looked flabbergasted as they left the dungeons.

"Can you believe it? He let me off!"

"He didn't let you off, Ron. You still have to go back after supper," Hermione explained.

"Who cares! He still surprised us all by allowing me to go to Quidditch tryouts. I feel very lucky now," Ron said.

Both Harry and Hermione looked at him in an odd way. "You're going to need all of that _luck_, Weasley," a cold voice drawled from behind. Malfoy strolled up behind them, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle.

Hermione tutted loudly. "Do you feel comfortable now that you have your two big goons with you?"

Malfoy's gray eyes narrowed lightly as he glared at Hermione. "I don't need them to take on a Mudblood."

Harry's temper flared and both he and Ron pulled out their wands in a blink of an eye. This move startled Draco, causing him to step backward.

"I can't wait until our next Care of Magical Creatures class. Too bad your huge oaf friend Hagrid isn't around," Draco quickly said before stalking off with Crabbe and Goyle, laughing as they went. Ron tried to hit Malfoy with the Stupefying curse so that he'd tumble down the marble staircase, but instead it accidentally hit a Ravenclaw third year, who was promptly knocked unconscious.

"Ron!" Hermione cried.

"What? It was an accident," he replied as his ears turned pink.

"Ten points from Gryffindor," she snarled. "Ennervate!" The Ravenclaw student was suddenly roused awake.

"What the bloody hell are you doing? You can't take house points away like that!"

"Under certain circumstances I can, Ron. You just hit an innocent student with a spell, and there is to be no magic being cast in the corridors. Had you hit Malfoy, I might have turned my cheek."

"Can she really do that?" Ron asked Harry.

"Uh-huh. So can I."

Ron looked like he was going to burst with anger at Hermione but he quickly got past it ass they headed down the staircase. "Let's just go get the tryouts over with."

*---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------*

Since there wasn't anyone trying out to be a substitute for the Seeker position in case Harry got hurt, he didn't have much to do except fly above and watch everyone else. Hermione sat below prepared to cheer Ron on when it was his turn to tryout for the Keeper position. Below Harry, Katie bell swooped back and forth, taking each person who was trying out through their job. She looked very stressed as she flew around the pitch at top speed.

"Do you think he will do well?" Hermione called out to Harry when he flew by close enough.

"Yeah, he should be fine," Harry replied.

Harry turned and looked towards the goal posts. Ron was flying up towards them. It was his turn.

Katie Bell flew forward, the Quaffle underneath her arm. Harry could see Ron begin to concentrate very hard. Within seconds, Katie had pulled the Quaffle up into her hands. Anticipating her move, Ron suddenly dove toward the middle goal post. His hands closed around the red ball just inches from going through the hoop.

"Good, Ron!" she called. He smiled as he hurled the Quaffle back. Alicia Spinnet intercepted it and immediately turned back towards the hoops. Ron was able to catch it when she tried to score, and he continued to save the Quaffle. After Katie, Alicia, and the people trying out to be Chasers tried several times to score, Ron had saved all but two goals.

"Excellent, Ron!" Harry commented as his friend came flying up next to him.

"Did you see Ginny?" Ron asked.

"Ginny? No. Why would Ginny be here?" Harry asked.

"She's trying out to be a Chaser! They need one since Angelina quit."

Harry looked down and eventually found Ron's younger sister flying amongst the others.

"I had no idea she was so good. She's the one who scored on me…twice!" Ron cried.

"Did you get it?" Harry asked.

"Yeah," Ron replied.

"Awesome!" Harry yelled as he embraced his best friend.

Hermione was not too far from them in the stands, and she began to clap when the words reached her. Harry and Ron smiled and turned to watch the others.

"Look out!" cried Fred from far below.

Harry turned just in time to catch a glimpse of a black blur before it collided into himself and Ron. Harry's breath was knocked out of him, as he was knocked off of his broom as well. Ron was still next to him, the two falling together. The ground quickly got closer, before it suddenly stopped. Harry flailed lightly before looking up. Fred and Alicia had caught Harry and Ron by their feet.

Seconds later, they were carefully placed on the ground. "That was close," George said as he landed next to his twin brother.

"Were you two practicing with a bludger?" Harry asked as he rubbed his chest slowly. He felt intense pain and burning when he touched a few of his lower ribs.

"Are you alright?" Alicia asked.

Harry winced lightly. "I don't know. I should probably go up to the hospital wing."

"Me too," Ron moaned as he coughed up some blood. Several people around groaned in disgust.

"What about the bludger?" Harry asked again.

Both Fred and George exchanged looks. Finally, Fred spoke. "We weren't practicing with one. I have no idea how it got out here."


	8. The Ministry of Magic Inspectors

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Harry Potter. I hope everyone likes this chapter.  
  
*Chapter Eight: The Ministry of Magic Inspectors*  
  
September passed by and it was two weeks before Halloween when Harry realized that the first Quidditch match of the season was getting closer. Gryffindor was going to be playing against Slytherin, and the Gryffindor Quidditch team had never been training harder. Ron's skills as a Keeper were getting better, and Ginny quickly fit into Angelina's empty spot as a Chaser.  
  
Tuesday afternoon, the week before Halloween, Harry found himself in Transfiguration with Ron and Hermione, where he was supposed to be trying to turn the small fur rugs in front of them into cats. As usual, Hermione was easily producing several cats that were purring very loudly and only stopped when Professor McGonagall gave Hermione a top grade for the day. Harry wasn't doing too badly, but Ron was given a very angry look from McGonagall when his arm slipped from his desk, transfiguring one of Hermione's cats into a huge, gray slug that was beginning to sprout bird legs at a rapid pace. With a wave of her wand, McGonagall quickly turned it back into a cat, and Ron's ears went pink as he tried to ignore the bits of laughter that broke out in the room.  
  
"Now, Mr. Weasley, could you please transfigure your rugs correctly this time?" McGonagall asked with a stern tone.  
  
"Yes, Professor," he replied. For the rest of the class period, Ron didn't speak one word as he successfully produced a small tabby kitten.  
  
Just minutes before class ended, Professor McGonagall silenced everyone so that she could speak. Harry started to listen halfway through. "Plan on attending with your best behavior in mind, for the guests from the Ministry of Magic will be arriving in time for the Halloween feast." At their professor's statement, Harry exchanged looks with Hermione and Ron.  
  
"It's obvious why delegates from the Ministry of Magic are coming to Hogwarts!" Hermione exclaimed as they began to climb the tower to head back to the Gryffindor common room.  
  
"As usual, Hermione, it's only obvious to you."  
  
"If you would take the time to think it through, Ronald, you would realize it too," Hermione said with a small glare. "Butterbeer." The portrait of the Fat Lady quickly swung open, letting them through.  
  
"Why don't you just explain it to us and get it over with? You know that you like to because it makes you feel so superior to everyone else. And don't call me Ronald," Ron retorted as he heaved his heavy school bag up the stairs. Hermione followed them up to the boy's dormitory, only because they could speak freely without being heard. It was a good choice, because Harry and Ron's dormitory was completely empty, while several other students had occupied the common room.  
  
"Both of you should very well remember what happened after the third task last year, especially you, Harry. Do you both remember how Fudge acted towards Dumbledore?"  
  
Harry sat on the edge of his bed, stroking Hedwig when she fluttered over to him. "Fudge wouldn't believe Dumbledore. Dumbledore tried to convince him, but Fudge wouldn't have it. He would not accept that Voldemort was alive," Harry said.  
  
"Exactly! Ever since then, a rift has begun to develop between Hogwarts and the Ministry of Magic. It helps explain why the Daily Prophet never connects any of the attacks over the summer with Voldemort because Fudge is most likely controlling it and making sure that they don't print any articles associated with Voldemort."  
  
"So what is your point regarding this?" Ron asked. He clearly wasn't paying too much attention.  
  
"Wake up, Ron! Dumbledore and Fudge have different viewpoints concerning Voldemort and what happened last year. Since then, Dumbledore probably hasn't been helping or even contacting Fudge or the Ministry. He has people like Moody, Lupin, Sirius, and your parents, Ron, working for him to try to stop Voldemort from regaining the power he had 15 years ago," Hermione explained, her face slightly turning red.  
  
"Can you get to the point about Fudge sending people from the Ministry of Magic here?" Ron asked. Suddenly, as if a candle was lit in his head, a look of great enthusiasm spread across Ron's face. "I get it! He's sending those people to try to spy on Dumbledore!"  
  
"And he finally gets it!" Hermione exclaimed.  
  
"But why would he do that? It's not like Dumbledore is against the Ministry."  
  
A moment went by without words being spoken until Harry knew exactly what to say, word for word. "It is exactly like that. Fudge could be worried that Dumbledore would turn all of Hogwarts against the Ministry. He already knows that people have great trust in Dumbledore. He needs to desperately know what's going on here, so he's trying to get someone inside of Hogwarts. He can't get a teacher to do it, so he's going to send people to examine the school, teachers, students, and extra curricular activities," Harry explained.  
  
"But what if he had tried to get a teacher to do it? Neville told us that Fudge fired his father shortly after he had accepted the Dark Arts job. What if Fudge had asked Mr. Longbottom to spy on Dumbledore for him? That could be why he was fired, because he refused," Hermione said with great haste.  
  
Harry's head was full with new information. He sincerely hoped that Dumbledore would not allow Ministry inspectors in to Hogwarts. Unfortunately, he couldn't stop them because Fudge had the power to remove Dumbledore from his position as Headmaster of Hogwarts by influencing the school governors, like Lucius Malfoy. "What are we going to do about Fudge?"  
  
"We can't really do anything, Harry. We're only fifth year students," Ron said as he sighed softly.  
  
Hermione's face suddenly lit up like lights on a Christmas tree. "But we can! Not directly, but there may be a way." Without another word, Hermione turned around and dashed out of the room.  
  
Harry and Ron didn't even bother to follow her, for they figured that whatever it was, they wouldn't completely comprehend it. "What are we going to do if the 'guests' really are inspectors?" Ron asked.  
  
"Whatever we can to say out of their way."  
  
*--------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------*  
  
Hermione turned up halfway through dinner with a big smile on her face. "Are you going to start some organization against the Ministry of Magic now, Hermione?" Ron asked, trying hard not to laugh. "I wonder what you'd call it!"  
  
"I can't tell you what I'm working on yet. I should wait for a response before I inform you, just in case, and I better get a response, because if I don't, there will be hell to pay."  
  
"That's fine with me," Ron said before stuffing a spoonful of mashed potatoes into his mouth.  
  
"I wonder when the first visit to Hogsmeade is," Harry mumbled before reaching for a biscuit.  
  
"The first visit is the day after Halloween, and the next is around Christmas, after the holidays of course."  
  
"How did you find that out?" Ron asked in between large bites of food.  
  
"I asked Professor McGonagall specifically about it."  
  
Once they were back in the common room, Hermione forced Harry and Ron to practice some new spells with her because she was 'sure' that they might come in handy in Defense Against the Dark Arts.  
  
"Now remember, it is Aeroa!"  
  
"What does it do again?" Ron asked as he picked up his wand.  
  
"It emits a powerful wind from your wand depending on your concentration, and we're not practicing right now with our wands, Ron," Hermione explained irritably.  
  
But Ron didn't hear the last part of Hermione's sentence and lifted his wand before anyone could stop him. "Aeroa!" he cried. A fierce wind erupted inside the Gryffindor common room. Books soared through the air, and several students had to cling to the walls or furniture to keep from being tossed around. Hermione, who wasn't holding on to anything except the book in her arms, was blown across the room. Harry luckily stopped her from hitting the wall.  
  
Ron was probably the worst off. The wind picked him up into the air and he was slammed into the ceiling several times.  
  
"I need a wand!" Hermione screamed to Harry over the roar of the wind.  
  
Struggling to not lose his wand, Harry passed it to Hermione who quickly took action. "Finite Incantato!" Harry's wand emitted a loud sizzling sound just as the wind suddenly stopped. Professor McGonagall stormed in through the portrait hole looking furious. Her nostrils had gone white. Ron was in the center of the common room, sprawled out on the floor. Furniture was out of place, paper and books were scattered everywhere, and several Gryffindors were holding body parts that had been obviously injured during the windstorm.  
  
Harry and Hermione ran to Ron's side at once. "He's passed out. Potter, Miss Granger, please take him to the hospital wing. When I get to the bottom of this, detentions will be issued."  
  
"Professor, please don't punish Ron," Hermione whispered.  
  
"Yes, please, Professor. We really need him for Quidditch practice."  
  
McGonagall looked stunned. "Mr. Weasley caused this mess?"  
  
"Uh, yes he did, but it was an accident," Harry muttered.  
  
"Well, I am afraid that he will get a detention, Miss Granger, but it won't be too much. Now hurry along with him to the hospital wing while I restore the room back to normal," Professor McGonagall said.  
  
"Ron won't be too happy that he got a detention," Hermione said as she and Harry levitated him down the stairs.  
  
"Well look at it this way. At least he was concentrating really hard for once," Harry said with a smile.  
  
*--------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------*  
  
Ron remained in the hospital wing for several days, mainly because he didn't wake up until Harry and Hermione visited him Saturday afternoon. They brought him all of his homework, and Hermione decided to help him so that he wouldn't fall too far behind.  
  
"Madam Pomfrey told us that she'll let you leave tomorrow morning," Harry said as he closed his Arithmancy book.  
  
"Good. I don't want to be stuck in here all weekend."  
  
"Don't plan on getting a warm welcome from the Slytherins," Hermione mumbled as she pulled another book out of her bag.  
  
"How would they know?"  
  
"Ron, this is a school. Secrets can't be kept here, especially something that wasn't exactly a secret. I'm sure if Hagrid was here, he could have heard the roar down by his cabin."  
  
"Shut up, Harry," Ron groaned.  
  
Several hours later, after Harry and Hermione had a short supper with Ron in the hospital wing, the two slowly walked back towards the Gryffindor common room after making a quick trip to the Great Hall. The sun was disappearing on the horizon, and Harry wanted to get back to the common room before they got in trouble. Technically, they were already supposed to be back to their common room. Just as they came close to the staff lounge, the door suddenly opened. Harry luckily had time to pull Hermione behind a large statue with him before Professor's Dumbledore and Longbottom exited the lounge.  
  
"Albus, I don't like what is going on with our reconnaissance team. I believe that they are not gathering enough information," Mr. Longbottom said.  
  
Dumbledore lowered his voice as he spoke. "They are doing the best that they can. Severus has been able to keep them safe and maintain their secrecy. And the information that has been relayed has been very helpful. Currently, Minerva and I are trying to figure out when he plans to make his move."  
  
"Have you performed the protection spell on Potter?"  
  
"No, I have not, and I have no intention to. Harry is safe here at Hogwarts this year. What happened last year will not be repeated. Plus, even on as strong as myself cannot perform it without nearing death."  
  
"This business with the Ministry is troubling as well. I will temper my lessons while they are here like you have asked."  
  
"Good. Come along, Frank. Let us continue this discussion in my office," Dumbledore murmured as the two professors swept up the hallway.  
  
"Protection spell? There is no spell that can keep one from dying," Hermione whispered when the hallway was clear.  
  
Harry opened his mouth to talk but Hermione quickly hurried him back to the common room, where they couldn't speak privately about things that they had overheard. Instead, Harry spent his time thinking deeply by the fireplace, often stopping to watch Hermione chase Fred and George around the room for giving out some of their unusual treats that they had recently developed.  
  
*--------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------*  
  
Ron was finally able to leave the hospital wing on Sunday, and he spent the whole afternoon with Harry and Hermione out on the lawn by the lake. Winter was getting closer. The wind was slightly colder and the sunlight was waning.  
  
"So, you actually heard Dumbledore say something about You-Know-Who attacking?" Ron asked in utter amazement.  
  
"Not exactly attacking. He just made it sound like Voldemort was going to make a move," Harry explained before stretching out on the grass. He stared up into the blue sky, watching the white clouds pass by.  
  
"He didn't even say it was Voldemort, technically," Hermione muttered.  
  
"But you are assuming it?" Ron asked.  
  
"Well, yeah," Harry responded.  
  
Ron snorted loudly. "If you asked me," he began.  
  
"Which we aren't," Hermione said.  
  
"Shut up, Hermione. If you asked me, I think that Dumbledore and everyone else for that matter, is hiding things from you."  
  
Harry had thought of that idea before, but he never had wanted to act on it and speak to Dumbledore. Although he wouldn't mind knowing what was going on, a part of Harry did not want to.  
  
Several moments passed where the wind blowing across the grounds was the only sound. Harry looked down across the grounds in time to see the Ravenclaw Quidditch team head towards the pitch.  
  
"Are you guys ready for the match against Slytherin?" Hermione asked slowly after following Harry's eyes with her own.  
  
"I think we'll do fine, as long as Harry can knock Malfoy off of his broom," Ron said.  
  
"We should get up to the school for dinner," Harry said as he pulled himself up off of the ground. Harry frequently glanced over at the pitch as the three of them proceeded up the steps and into the castle.  
  
*--------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------*  
  
Halloween came a lot sooner than Harry had expected. The classes went by fast during the week, and Harry found himself heading to the Great Hall that night with Harry and Hermione. The hall was decorated with hundreds of pumpkins as usual, many floating in the air among the candles. Bats fluttered about, swooping down between the tables, occasionally scaring the first years.  
  
The feast was magnificent. Before the desserts magically appeared, the House ghosts entertained the students by flying in formation, similar to synchronized swimming except without all of the water. The high point of the act was when several professors, including Dumbledore, enchanted several human skeletons to tap dance across the room, do an Irish jig on the staff table, and perform stunning gymnastics that left the school breathless with amazement and laughter.  
  
Ron was the first to dig into the flaming pumpkin pie, and Harry quickly followed suit. It warmed both of their insides as it went down. The night couldn't have gotten worse. That is until the wooden doors to the Great Hall suddenly burst open and slammed into the stone walls. Several screamed, and Harry had to carefully hit Hermione's back to keep her from choking on her pie.  
  
At the staff table, Dumbledore slowly rose for his chair. "Ah. I believe that our guests have finally arrived." At first, no one came through the open door. But then two tall figures slowly waltzed through the archway. They were dressed in robes of dark crimson. They slowly marched down the middle aisle. Harry looked up at their faces as they passed. One was a woman, the other a man. They appeared to be husband and wife. For once second, Harry's eyes looked straight into the older man's gaze. The glare that he received reflected burning anger and hate. Harry's scar suddenly prickled lightly with sharp pain. He slowly rubbed his forehead after they passed by, and Harry could see Hermione looking at him with a concerned look. Ron was too busy to notice.  
  
"I'm very glad that you have arrived. I almost worried that a turn for the worst had taken place. We expected you both to arrive in time for the feast," Dumbledore said slowly.  
  
The woman spoke first. "Very sorry about that, Dumbledore. There were complications." Harry couldn't hear what she said next, for she spoke barely above a whisper. Dumbledore turned towards the House tables.  
  
"I would like to introduce two inspectors from the Ministry of Magic: Alain and Loraine Ghellar." Dumbledore opened his mouth to say more but was rudely interrupted by Alain.  
  
"We have come to inspect Hogwarts by orders of the Ministry of Magic. It is our privilege to do so, because it is in the best interests of all of you that we make sure you are being properly educated. While we are here, it is requested that all of you address us as Madam or Monsieur, for although we work here in the United Kingdom, we originally hail from France. We promise to make sure that you are getting all that you can here at Hogwarts."  
  
"And while our guests are here with us, please treat them with the same respect that you bestow upon your professors," Dumbledore said.  
  
"Does that mean we can despise them as much as we despise Snape?" Ron whispered to Harry.  
  
Without another word, the Ghellar's thanked Dumbledore and left the Great Hall almost as fast as they had entered.  
  
"Inspecting the school for our safety my arse. There is just something about them that doesn't sit right with me," Ron yawned out later in the common room. Harry nodded his head in agreement.  
  
"Harry, why were you clutching you sca..." Hermione began.  
  
But she was quickly interrupted. "Goodnight, Hermione," Harry said quickly before disappearing up the stairs to his dorm room.  
  
"Hey, wait up!" Ron called. "What was she going to ask you?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
Harry changed into his pajamas while Ron paced around slowly. "So, do you think that they will be trouble?" Ron asked.  
  
"Well, they are both French, aren't they?" Harry retorted as he climbed into bed. Ron laughed lightly before someone knocked on their door.  
  
"Get plenty of rest for the Quidditch match tomorrow!" Katie Bell screamed through the door. Moments later, Seamus and Dean came in and went to sleep.  
  
Ron's face almost turned a shade of green. "Oh no...I forgot about that. I was enjoying myself so much tonight. We play Slytherin, don't we?"  
  
"How could you forget? And yes, we are playing them. Malfoy hasn't been leaving us alone about it," Harry groaned.  
  
"Please don't kill me tomorrow if we lose."  
  
"You'll be fine. Just go to sleep," Harry said as he pulled his pillow over his head and let sleep claim him.  
  
*--------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------*  
  
The next morning, Harry was surprised to see that Ron had calmed down a substantial amount. He was calmly eating, with Hermione occasionally offering tips on Keep techniques. Luckily, for Ron, Harry quickly peeled him away to head out to the Quidditch field early. They spent the hour they had talking in the locker room, and quickly put their robes of scarlet and gold on as they heard the students' voices as they crossed the lawn to the pitch.  
  
Behind Harry, the door opened and Katie Bell strolled in, followed by Alicia Spinnet, Fred, George, and Ginny. "Oh good. You're both here."  
  
"Who's refereeing the match?" Harry asked as Katie pulled on her robes. She glared at him lightly.  
  
"Those Ministry people. It's a part of them wanting to be a part of the school so they can 'inspect' us all."  
  
"Then why would they need to referee Quidditch?" Ron asked angrily.  
  
Katie shrugged. "Who knows. Hurry up and change, you all, and grab your brooms."  
  
After spending a few minutes to put on their robes, the team strolled out on to the Quidditch field, hearing the roar of the crowd. Harry glared at Malfoy, who stood on the other side of the center circle. He sneered right back at him as he mounted his Nimbus Two Thousand and One. Loraine Ghellar, on of the inspectors, stepped out into the center, carrying the box that contained the Quidditch balls. She looked around at all of them as she set it down. "Let's have a nice game, shall we?" she said in an eerie tone. All players kicked off of the ground, hovering ten feet above the air as "Inspector" Ghellar opened the trunk.  
  
"And the bludgers are released!" Lee Jordan cried as the two black spheres hurled into the air. The snitch was released next, fluttering around both Harry and Draco before disappearing out of sight. The quaffle was soon up in the air, and the game had begun. Harry flew up above the field, keeping an eye out for the snitch. He could hear Lee Jordan's commentary as he flew about, occasionally dodging a bludger.  
  
"Alicia Spinnet takes early possession of the quaffle. She passes! Bell, Weasley, Bell, and back to Spinnet. Oh! A narrow miss by the bludger. Spinnet passes to Ginny Weasley. She shoots...she scores!" The Gryffindor crowd below roared with excitement. Harry flew down, soaring next to Ginny to congratulate her. He was soon back above, squinting for the snitch.  
  
"Warrington has the quaffle. Oh! Spinnet pulls off a spectacular steal! Spinnet soars up the field, passing to Weasley, then to Bell...ouch! That's going to hurt in the morning. Montague for Slytherin flying down the center passes to Warrington, who just narrowly dodged a bludger hit by one of the Weasley twins. He shoots, and Ron Weasley saves it just in time!" Lee Jordan's voice yelled.  
  
After nearly ten minutes of playing, Gryffindor was leading 80 points to 20. Harry was still uncomfortable, because he hadn't seen the snitch once, and neither had Malfoy, who was circling about the Slytherin goal posts. Suddenly the whistle blew, and Harry flew to the ground, joining the others. "What's wrong?" he asked.  
  
"That lady is being tough. Fred, George, you both need to be careful about hitting bludgers at people, because she's calling off fouls every time practically, and for no good reason either," Katie Bell shrieked. "And Harry, PLEASE catch the snitch soon. Who knows when that woman will start calling more fouls against us."  
  
As soon as their timeout as over, the Gryffindor team got back into positions. It was then in that moment that Harry glimpsed the snitch. The small gold ball was fluttering around the base of the Slytherin goal posts. He quickly flattened himself on to his broomstick as he soared forward, rapidly flying across the field. Harry could have almost cried out in joy, for Malfoy was nowhere in sight. He was on the other side of the field.  
  
Suddenly, a bludger flew down straight into his path, and Harry spun the Firebolt in a vicious turn, barely dodging it. Unfortunately, in the commotion, the snitch had vanished, and Harry cursed lightly under his breath. Loud booing could finally be heard by Harry, which he didn't notice when was trying to avoid being knocked off of his broom. At first, Harry thought they were booing because Derrick, a Slytherin beater, had hit the bludger into his path. He realized though that the Gryffindors were actually angry because Slytherin's other beater had attacked Ron with a bludger, allowing Slytherin to score since that move wasn't illegal when attempting to score. Ron was nursing his left arm, and refused to take a break when Katie asked him to.  
  
"Call another time out," Harry begged as he flew up next to Katie and Ron.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because, I have a great idea."  
  
The Gryffindor captain sighed loudly, and reluctantly called the time out that Harry had asked for. He could see Malfoy sneering and laughing at them across the way. "Look at the Potter Wanna-Be!" he called. Anger flooded though Harry like a raging river. Malfoy had been referring to when Harry broke his arm in his second year during a Quidditch match versus Slytherin, and now Ron's arm was hurt.  
  
"Ron, is your arm broken?" Ginny asked.  
  
"No, I don't think so," he said with a painful wince. "It just hurts a lot."  
  
"What's the plan, Harry?" Katie asked, irritated.  
  
"I've got a great idea that will not only get me to catch the snitch, it will smear that sneer off of Malfoy's dirty face," Harry explained.  
  
"Hmm. A plan that causes bodily harm to Draco Malfoy and gets us to win. We're in," Fred and George muttered in unison.  
  
"Excellent. Fred, George, as soon as I spot the snitch, I will keep Malfoy off of it and try to bring him past the goal posts if possible. You need to be ready to hit a bludger at Ron."  
  
"Why the bloody hell should he hit a bludger at me?" Ron whined.  
  
"Because, Ron, when I bring Malfoy around, you can unleash a surprise on him, if you're capable."  
  
"I'm capable," he fired back.  
  
"What about the Slytherin chasers and beaters?" Fred asked.  
  
"You three will keep them busy," Harry said as he pointed to Katie, Alicia, and Ginny. "Agreed?"  
  
Everyone agreed to the plan, which gave energy to Harry as he flew back into the air. The game resumed, and Harry looked frantically for the snitch. Katie, Alicia, and Ginny kept the Slytherin chasers busy, scoring three more goals on them while making dives to steal the quaffle. Harry almost gave up hope on his plan when he finally saw the snitch, with Malfoy not too far behind it. His heart practically burst from his chest as he zoomed after them, luckily catching up within seconds thanks to the superb speed of his broom. As soon as Harry flew up next to him, Draco slammed into Harry, nearly knocking him off of his broom. Harry would have fought back, but was afraid of Loraine Ghellar calling a foul on him. His arm burned with mild pain as he suddenly pulled ahead. 'Time for the surprise,' he thought.  
  
Harry swerved at angles to make sure that the snitch would head towards the goal posts at the Gryffindor end, and it followed his plan perfectly. Just as Harry came upon the goal posts, Fred slammed a bludger towards Ron with precise timing. Ron spun his Nimbus in a 360-degree spin, the tail end of his broom hitting the bludger straight at Harry. At the last second, Harry performed a perfect corkscrew. The bludger soared over him, heading towards Malfoy. Harry looked back just in time to catch the horrified look on Malfoy's face as the bludger slammed in him, knocking him off of his broom.  
  
The snitch fluttered within reach, and Harry reached out and grasped it between his fingers. The crowd roared with applause. Gryffindor had won the match.  
  
*--------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------*  
  
"That move was awesome!" Neville cried as everyone returned to the party that had erupted in the Gryffindor common room. Even Hermione was excited, and she showed it by giving both Harry and Ron huge hugs. Fred and George had snuck down to the kitchens and had brought back several treats and snacks. They had even run into Dobby down in the kitchens, who accompanied them up to the common room.  
  
"Dobby watched you play Quidditch, Harry Potter! It was superb!"  
  
"Thanks, Dobby," Harry muttered as the house elf passed him a mug of butterbeer.  
  
"I made it all especially for the party!" Dobby squeaked. Before Harry could thank him for that, though, Dobby quickly grabbed Harry's wrist and pulled him towards the nearest window.  
  
"Dobby has a surprise for Harry Potter!" the house elf said. Hermione and Ron pulled themselves away from the party to follow.  
  
"What am I supposed to be looking at, Dobby?" Harry asked impatiently. Dobby outstretched one long finger, pointing at the grounds of Hogwarts. Harry slowly followed the direction, before his heart swelled with joy. The lights in Hagrid's hut were on.  
  
Harry turned and dashed up the stairs, racing for the dormitory. Dobby, Hermione, and Ron chased after. Harry got on to his knees and wrenched his trunk open, pulling out the invisibility cloak. "Harry Potter must not go down tonight!"  
  
"Dobby, we haven't seen Hagrid about five months. Nothing is going to keep me from seeing Hagrid," Harry growled angrily.  
  
"But Harry Potter, those foul Ministry people are in the school tonight! They are making sure that Hogwarts has enforced the rules of students not going out at night. They will find you if you go out, even with that cloak!"  
  
Harry sighed. He so badly wanted to see Hagrid, but he knew that Dobby had some truth behind his words. He could get caught, along with Hermione and Ron, and be in serious trouble, and Harry didn't want to risk getting expelled from Hogwarts or even just losing points for Gryffindor. He slowly closed the trunk after putting the invisibility cloak away. "Fine, Dobby. You win. We won't go tonight."  
  
"Thank you, Harry Potter. It would hurt my feelings if you went and got yourselves in trouble. Now come, enjoy the party with your friends, Harry Potter. You can see the giant one tomorrow!"  
  
Harry sighed as he walked back down the stairs to the common room. "We will get up and go see him as soon as we can in the morning," Harry said to Hermione and Ron. They nodded their head in agreement. 


	9. Two Tales

Author's Notes: I am so sorry that it has taken me this long to get this Chapter up, and I hope you faithful readers who have been waiting will forgive me. I started writing this chapter and had great difficulty because it was near the end of my junior year in high school, and I was swamped with schoolwork. Once summer came, I took a break from writing, and I am now back writing as much as possible.  
  
I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter. I regret that this chapter is shorter than others, but the next chapter should be longer.  
  
Chapter Nine: Two Tales  
  
As soon as the sun had come up over the east horizon, Harry was quickly out of bed. Ron was barely awake when Harry threw a cloak around his shoulders. He quietly descended the stairs. The common room was cold and empty, giving him goosebumps when the cool air chilled his skin. The fire that was usually blazing with warmth was mysteriously not burning. Harry decided to fix that, standing in front of the hearth with his wand pointed at it. "Incendio," he muttered. The fireplace was suddenly lit ablaze, and warmth began to spill back into the room.  
  
Just as Harry began to push open the portrait, ready to leave, Hermione came clambering down the stairs from the girls' dormitory. "Wait, Harry. I'm coming with you," she said as she wrapped a scarf around her neck.  
  
"How did you know?" he asked her as she pushed open the portrait of the fat Lady and stepped out.  
  
"I saw how badly you wanted to go see Hagrid last night, so I figured you would be up as early as possible," Hermione said as she pulled her cloak closer to her cold body. The hallways of the castle were not as warm as the common room.  
  
"Should we wait for Ron?" Harry asked as the portrait closed behind them. He originally wasn't going to wait for either of them before, but once Hermione had joined him, he thought it would be rude of them to not wait for Ron.  
  
"As rude as it sounds, he won't wake up for several more hours, and I don't feel like waiting on him," Hermione said quickly.  
  
Harry and Hermione left Gryffindor Tower and trekked down the Grand Staircase. When they passed the Great Hall, very few students were already awake, eating breakfast.  
  
Crossing the school grounds was by far much worse than walking in the cold hallways of Hogwarts. The wind was blowing by fast, threatening to rip their cloaks off of them. By time they reached Hagrid's cabin, both were freezing cold, teeth chattering away. Harry knocked hard three times on the wooden door, anxious to get inside. They waited several minutes, huddling close to keep as warm as possible with their combined body heat. They were so close, Harry thought that Hermione might have been blushing. They were about ready to turn around and go back to the castle in disappointment when the door suddenly swung open.  
  
Hagrid was standing in the doorway, and a huge smile spread across his face when he saw Harry and Hermione. "Well, it's abou' time you two showed up," he said. "I've only been back fer less than a day."  
  
Both Harry and Hermione rushed forward, and Hagrid laughed as he hugged them both. "Where have you been, Hagrid?" Harry was asking as Hagrid allowed them inside. The warmth of Hagrid's fire washed over them like a hot bath.  
  
"Yes, Hagrid, tell us everything!" Hermione exclaimed as she sat down.  
  
"Well, Hermione, I can' tell yeh everythin'. Dumbledore's orders o'course. But, I can tell yeh some things if yeh have the patience to listen."  
  
"We have plenty of patience, Hagrid. Now tell us, why were you gone so long?" Harry asked.  
  
"Alright, Harry. I'll tell yeh. Do you two remember Dumbledore askin' me to talk with that Madame Maxime of Beauxbatons?"  
  
Harry and Hermione nodded their heads as Hagrid brought over a pot of tea, pouring them each a cup.  
  
"Well, I talked to her alright, and convinced her to come speak with Dumbledore. Since You-Know-Who is back and all, Dumbledore had a mission for the both of us. Now, I can't tell you exactly what that mission was, so don't pry."  
  
"What can you tell us about your mission then, Hagrid?" Hermione asked as she sipped her own cup of tea. Fang was chained up in the corner, sleeping peacefully instead of slobbering all over the two of them.  
  
"Well, Hermione, our mission entailed a lot of traveling, an' it took us far and wide across Europe."  
  
"What country did you both end up in?" Hermione asked.  
  
"Well, we both ended up going in to the Alps. However, I was in the mountain range on Switzerland's side, an' Madame Maxime looked on the French side of the range."  
  
"Looked? What were you looking for?" Harry spoke up this time.  
  
"According to Dumbledore, an old castle. It was s'pposed to be an old home or hangout for Salazar Slytherin and his followers. Luckily, I found it after a short time. The bad part was tha' there wasn' much of the place left," Hagrid explained.  
  
"So, why did you have to find this castle? Were you looking for artifacts?" Hermione asked.  
  
"Sorta. Dumbledore wanted use to look for somethin', but I didn't find it."  
  
"Well, what exactly were you looking for in the castle remains, Hagrid?" Harry asked, persistent in trying to get the truth out of him.  
  
"Sorry, Harry. I can' tell yeh that."  
  
"Not surprising. So you're absolutely not going to tell me anything, just like everyone else?" Harry asked.  
  
"An' just what do yeh mean by that?"  
  
"Hardly anyone will tell me anything pertaining to Voldemort. Sirius is the only on who has told me a small amount. Dumbledore hasn't said one word to me," Harry said angrily. "Even the teachers look at me funny sometimes, especially McGonagall." It was true. Harry had noticed her looking at him during Transfiguration a few times, either with sorrow or sadness.  
  
"You need to understand that Dumbledore is a very busy man, as are all of the teachers, now so more than ever with You-Know-Who back. He'll talk to you when he has bloody time I 'spect," Hagrid replied, sipping his tea.  
  
Hermione rapidly changed the subject back to Hagrid's trip. "So, you both were looking for some sort of item in these ruins, correct? And you didn't find it?"  
  
"Correct. I wouldn' exactly call the castle ruins, though. Much of the place was still intact."  
  
"Well, this item must be really important for you to find if Dumbledore asked you and Madame Maxime to seek it out, to find it," Hermione commented, casually prying. Harry noticed this and smirked lightly. She was prying to get more out of Hagrid, who was so far not noticing.  
  
Hagrid looked like he was fighting himself on the inside, trying to hold back from doing or saying something, but he soon gave in with a great sigh. "Now, yeh can't tell anyone what I'm abou' to tell yeh, except Ron o'course. You are right, Hermione. This item I was looking for is extremely important. Dumbledore's orders were to search these different places for anything that could be harmful if You-Know-Who were to come searching for them. Unfortunately, as I said, nothing much was left, and the things that were there looked like they had already been searched through."  
  
"So someone had been there before and gone through everything?" Harry asked.  
  
"It looked like it alright. I informed Dumbledore of this as soon as possible once I got back. I reckon that You-Know-Who had already been there and had taken what he wanted," Hagrid said.  
  
Harry sighed. If Hagrid didn't find the important item that he was supposed to find, perhaps Voldemort really had gotten there first. He hoped deep down inside that he didn't. If Dumbledore had wanted this mystery item to be found and kept safe from Voldemort, it must have been an item that Voldemort would badly want. Something so powerful that it would bring death and destruction to the magical world, as well as the muggle world. He shivered lightly at the thought of it.  
  
"You alright, Harry?" Hagrid asked.  
  
Harry nodded his head in response. "I'm fine, Hagrid."  
  
"Well, you don' look it, Harry. You look worried, and there is absolutely nothing you should be worrryin' about right now. The item of jewelry Dumbledore had me looking for has been a fable, a myth in the wizarding world. Many even doubted that it was ever created, and no known record has given a factual testament to it."  
  
"So this important item is a piece of jewelry?" Hermione asked, her ears perking up.  
  
"Oh boy, I shouldn't have told yeh that," Hagrid exclaimed before hastily drinking up his hot tea, pouring more. Luckily for him, someone knocked on the door before Harry and Hermione could ask more questions. Hagrid quickly got up to open it. Ron was outside, looking quite flustered, and very cold.  
  
"Thanks for waking me up this morning," he said sarcastically as he moved past Hagrid and flopped down on to the couch next to Harry. "Oh, hi Hagrid."  
  
"It's good to see you too, Ron," Hagrid replied, pouring Ron a cup of tea.  
  
Ron looked around, trying to fix is wind-ruffled hair. "So, what have you all been talking about?" he asked.  
  
Harry opened his mouth, hoping to get more out of Hagrid, but was stopped by Hagrid. "Nothing important. Nope, nothing important at all. So Ron, how's your family?" And that was that. Hagrid had changed the subject, and would most likely not go back.  
  
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Around lunchtime, Harry, Hermione, and Ron headed back up to the school. They had to have lunch, and then prepare to go to Hogsmeade. As soon as they had eaten and dressed for colder weather, the three headed across the school grounds with the other students. Within minutes, they were walking through the gates to the little town of Hogsmeade, the streets becoming cluttered with students shortly after.  
  
"Where would you two like to go first?" Harry asked.  
  
"Butterbeers at Madame Rosmerta's? Ron suggested.  
  
"Let's go there later. I'm not that thirsty right now," Hermione said as she looked up and down the street. Harry caught sight of Cho walking by with her friends, and became momentarily distracted.  
  
"Correct me if I'm wrong, Hermione, but didn't you say a week or two ago that this Hogsmeade visit was the day after Halloween?" Harry asked. It was currently November 2nd.  
  
"Yes, I did, but they changed it a few days ago because of the Quidditch match," she replied.  
  
"How about Gladrags? I could use a set of new robes," Harry said. Indeed, the robes he was wearing were getting a little short: not only could you see his shoes, but also you could glimpse the bottom of his socks.  
  
"That sounds alright, as long as we can go to Honeydukes afterwards," Ron said as he pulled his robes closer to himself. "I've got a strange craving for some of those fizzing whizbees."  
  
"Why don't you two just head over there while I get my new robes?" Harry suggested.  
  
"If you don't mind, Ron, I think I'll go with Harry. I'm not interested in any sweets today."  
  
"Alright, have it your way then," Ron replied, sounding slightly annoyed as he turned and quickly headed off towards Honeydukes.  
  
Harry and Hermione stared after him. "What's wrong with him?" Harry asked.  
  
"I think he's still angry about us not waking him to go to Hagrid's, or that we haven't told him about what we discussed, or, well, most likely both."  
  
"We'll just tell him about it later, when we have time and when there aren't so many people around," Harry replied as a random sixth year almost bumped into him, luckily avoiding him with extra effort because of the Prefect badge on Harry's robes.  
  
Just as a steady snowfall began, Harry and Hermione entered Gladrag's Wizard Wear, getting out of the cold. Harry immediately went over to get measured for his new robes, while Hermione moved about the store, looking at several articles of wizard and muggle clothing. Harry waited patiently, and after standing on a small wooden stool for nearly ten minutes, Harry paid for his robes and joined Hermione. She was standing over a glass casing that looked like it contained jewelry, mainly necklaces, bracelets, and rings.  
  
"Oh harry, some of these are so beautiful."  
  
"Which one do you like?" Harry asked.  
  
Hermione smiled, pointing to a small ring that was situated in the corner. It was a small ring made of silver, with a sapphire on the top. "It's amazing," Harry replied.  
  
"I almost wish that I hadn't bought that 1,348 page book on powerful hexes and defensive spells," Hermione muttered before leaving the store quickly. Harry had to jog to catch up to her.  
  
Ron met them a short time later outside of the Three Broomsticks, ready to head inside for some butterbeer. Just as Harry was about to enter through the door after Ron and Hermione, a shadow moved in the corner of his eye. He quickly spun to his right, staring into a small alleyway between the Three Broomsticks pub and the building next to it.  
  
"Come on, Harry," Ron said, holding the door open for him.  
  
"You two go on in...I'll be in shortly," Harry said after hesitating.  
  
"Harry, is something wrong?" Hermione asked.  
  
Harry shook his head before stepping into the alleyway, pulling his wand from beneath his robes. A sudden chill came over him as he passed several piles of crates stacked high. Harry almost dropped his wand when a loud sobbing sound emanated from behind a tall stack of crates at the back of the Three Broomsticks. Wand held at the ready, Harry quickly jumped around the corner, coming face-to-face with Cho Chang, whose face was streaked with wet tears.  
  
"Cho?" Harry asked softly, quickly sliding his wand back into his robes. She apparently hadn't noticed him at first, for she nearly jumped with fright. Cho made a quick attempt in hiding her face, trying to wipe away the tears.  
  
"Harry?" she asked, startled. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"I saw something moving in the alley, and I got curious. I guess I could ask you the same question."  
  
"I had to get away from my friends, from the crowd of the village," she whispered.  
  
"Whatever for?"  
  
"I want to be able to grieve alone."  
  
"I'll leave you alone then." Harry started to back away, intending on leaving the alleyway so Cho could be by herself.  
  
"You can stay, Harry. I wouldn't mind talking with you."  
  
Harry slowly turned around, leaning against the stack of crates. "Why are you crying?"  
  
At first, Cho didn't answer. She was trying her best not to break down and cry, yet again. However, she regained enough strength to continue talking.  
  
"A year ago today was when Cedric first talked to me up at the school. It wasn't until the first visit to Hogsmeade last year that he had asked me to be his girlfriend. In fact, it was in this very alley too."  
  
Harry suppressed a sigh. He had once had feelings for Cho, but now they were completely no more.  
  
After having so many nightmares over the summer, seeing Cedric's lifeless body falling to the ground in many of them, Harry did not feel like looking back on that fateful night, nor did he want to discuss it with Cho.  
  
"Harry, could you please tell me something?" Cho asked, a few more tears slipping out of her eyes, sliding down her slender cheeks.  
  
"That depends on what it is exactly that you want me to tell you," Harry replied.  
  
"Would you tell me how Cedric died?"  
  
"Cho, I...I can't," Harry whispered.  
  
"I beg you, Harry. Please tell me what happened."  
  
It was almost unbearable for Harry to talk about it, let alone even think about it. His scar prickled lightly as he remembered Voldemort touching Harry's scar. "You must know that we helped each other several times during the TriWizard Tournament, mainly in the Third Task. But Cedric was stubborn. He could have taken the cup for himself, but in the end, we both did." Harry purposely left out the fact that he himself had suggested that they both grab the cup. In a big way, Harry felt responsible for Cedric's death.  
  
"And the cup was a Portkey?" Cho asked.  
  
"Yes. It was a portkey set up by one of Voldemort's servants. We were in a dark graveyard, and everything happened so fast. Before either of us could do a thing, Cedric was killed by Voldemort."  
  
Cho sniffled a few times. "Is it really true that he is back?"  
  
"Yes, but no one believes it, mainly people at the Ministry. They still want to believe that everything is fine and safe," Harry muttered.  
  
Cho sighed softly, wiping her face one last time. It looked as if she was nearing the end of crying.  
  
"Thank you, Harry. I actually feel better now," Cho said, though she didn't look like it.  
  
"I should get going," Harry said softly. "Hermione and Ron are waiting for me." But as he started to walk away, Cho suddenly closed the distance between them. Her face was only inches from his, and as she moved forward to kiss Harry, he pulled away. Both were completely oblivious to Hermione standing nearby, who fled back to the front of the pub when she saw Cho get close with Harry.  
  
"I'm sorry, Cho, I can't do this," Harry whispered.  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Because it doesn't feel right. Plus, you're grieving over Cedric, and it would feel like you're using me to feel better."  
  
"That's not the only reason. You like her."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Hermione."  
  
Harry sighed softly. "We're just friends," he replied, though he has a hard time saying those words.  
  
Cho sighed softly, stepping back. "I'm so sorry, Harry."  
  
"It's okay, Cho."  
  
"Thank you for talking with me," she said gently before slowly leaving the alley. Harry remained there by himself for a few minutes after Cho had left before finally joining Ron and Hermione in the Three Broomsticks. His two best friends were situated in the corner, talking quietly.  
  
"What were you doing, Harry?" Ron asked.  
  
"Nothing," he quickly lied. "So, what are you to talking about?" he asked as he sat down.  
  
Ron opened his mouth to reply but Hermione beat him to it. "Nothing," she said before taking a drink from her tankard of butterbeer. Every time Harry looked at Hermione, as the three drank and talked, she would always look away, as if she refused to look at him on purpose.  
  
Harry experienced this all the way back to Hogwarts. Hermione remained silent, not even talking to Ron. They ate in silence during dinner until Harry got Ron to talk about the upcoming holidays that would happen in another month.  
  
"Oh, that reminds me," Ron said in between bites of food. "Mum asked if the three of us wanted to stay here for the holidays, or if we would rather stay there. If you ask me, I'd rather stay here, because Percy is going to be home over the holidays, and no doubt, he won't quit talking about the Ministry."  
  
"Listening to him might be helpful, Ron. He might know some useful information," Hermione said.  
  
"Even if he knew anything that was remotely important, Percy wouldn't tell us. Especially me," Ron replied.  
  
"Let's stay here then," Harry said as he stood up from the table.  
  
For Harry, the walk back to the Gryffindor common room was quite tiresome. No matter how badly he wanted to go to sleep, he knew that he must stay awake. Harry had to try to talk to Hermione.  
  
Once entering the common room through the portrait of the Fat Lady, Ron quickly headed up to bed. Hermione moved to follow, stepping up to the stairway that led to the girls' dormitory. "Hermione, wait!" Harry called after her as other students came into the common room, heading up to bed.  
  
"What do you want, Harry?" she asked irritably.  
  
"I want to talk to you, to ask you why you're acting like this."  
  
"Well, I'm sorry, Harry, but I am really tired. Why don't you go catch Cho before she heads to the Ravenclaw common room? I'm sure she wouldn't mind 'talking' to you," Hermione snapped before quickly heading up the stairs.  
  
Harry stood stunned for several seconds. By time he tried to call after her, she was already in her dormitory.  
  
Chapter Ten Coming Soon titled "Death on the Doorstep" 


	10. Death on the Doorstep

**Author's Note:** I unfortunately don't own the idea of Harry Potter, so please, no lawsuits.

**Chapter Ten: Death on the Doorstep**

"Ron, I really need your help," Harry said as he quickly sat down next to his best friend at breakfast.

"With what?"

"I'm begging you to talk to Hermione," Harry commented strategically just as Ron stuffed a piece of toast into his mouth.

"I am not going to talk to her for you, Harry," Ron said, sounding slightly angry with him as he forcefully swallowed his toast.

"Why not?" Harry asked.

"Because, this is between you and Hermione. I am NOT getting in the middle of your stupid, immature argument no matter what," Ron explained before grabbing up his books and storming out of the Great Hall.

"What's wrong with Ronniekins?" Fred asked as he and George sat down across from Harry, next to Neville.

"I, uh, asked him to do a favor for me, and he didn't want to help," Harry said, trying to cover up what happened.

"He won't help get Hermione to talk to you again?" George asked before attacking his breakfast.

Harry was extremely baffled as he dropped his fork on to his plate.

"Before you ask how we know, Harry, we shall explain so you don't have to bother asking," George quickly commented.

"You see, you, Hermione, and Ron are the best of friends. Everyone can see that," Fred stated.

"So naturally, when the three of you stop talking with each other, there is obviously something wrong between you three."

"Right you are, George," Fred said as he gulped down some pumpkin juice. "And since you and Hermione are the two who have not really been too friendly with one another, it is yet again obvious that something is going on between you and Hermione. So, Harry, why don't you enlighten us?"

"That's the crazy part. I don't know why she's acting this way. She hasn't talked to me in about two weeks. Ever since that visit to Hogsmeade, actually."

"Well, Harry, we would help you, but we're afraid that if we go anywhere near Hermione while she's studying, which she is doing every minute of the day, she'll curse us and turn us into slugs," Fred explained.

"Got any ideas on how to get her to talk to you again, Harry?" Neville asked.

"No. Every time I try to talk to her, she either just ignores me or glares at me until I give up and go away."

"Well, Christmas is coming up, Harry. Maybe if you got her something nice, she would consider speaking to you again," George suggested.

"Yeah. Maybe," Harry murmured.

"Don't worry about it, Harry. She'll come around," George commented, reaching across the table, patting him on the back.

George really didn't have the faintest idea of how badly Harry wished she would. Without Hermione there to talk to him and help him with his homework, Harry was left with Ron, not that it was a bad thing. Ron just wasn't as academically gifted as Hermione was, and Harry needed some help with his current Arithmancy assignment.

"Come on, Harry," Neville said, standing up from the table as the bell rang, "we need to get going to Charms class."

After sliding his bag over his shoulder, Harry quickly joined Neville as they left the Great Hall in a hurry to climb the Grand Staircase.

"Do you know what we're supposed to be doing today?" Harry asked Neville.

"I think we're just reviewing over what we did last week," Neville replied.

"Uh...what _did_ we do last week?"

"No clue," Neville replied again.

Review in Professor Flitwick's class usually meant that they would need their wands, so as they neared the Charm's corridor, Harry began to look through his bag. Just as he pulled it out, someone bumped into Harry, causing him to drop his wand. Luckily, he caught it before it could roll back down the stairs.

"I'm sorry, Harry. I was just so excited that I wasn't watching where I was going," Parvati Patil squealed as she helped him up from the floor where he had retrieved his wand.

"What's so exciting?" Neville asked.

"I just came from seeing Professor Trelawney. I was curious about how well I did last week in class."

"Me too!" Neville exclaimed. "So, how did you do?"

"Excellent. She really thinks I have the true making of a Seer."

"That, and she thinks that death is getting even closer," Neville commented sarcastically.

"What?" Harry asked.

"It's nothing, Harry. Professor Trelawney is just up to her old tricks, trying to scare us all into thinking that people are going to die soon," Neville explained.

"She's not tricking anyone, Neville. I have seen in the crystal ball what she has seen," Parvati interjected.

"Then name one person who is supposedly going to die," Neville fired back.

Neville's words instantly stopped Parvati from arguing back, and she almost knocked into both of them as she stormed into the Charm's classroom.

"Problems?" Harry asked.

"It's nothing," Neville said as he headed in.

When Harry sat down in each class, he usually sat between Hermione and Ron. However, Ron was now the one sitting in the middle, most likely at Hermione's request. Harry sat on Ron's right, setting down his bag and wand. Moments later, Professor Flitwick appeared as he climbed up to the top of his stack of books behind his wooden podium.

"Wands at the ready, class. We're going to review the stunning spell that we were beginning to practice last week," Professor Flitwick squeaked. "Now, before we begin, can anyone tell me how this spell works?"

Hermione's hand was in the air immediately. "The spell does not just work on its own. It feeds off of your emotions. The stronger the emotion, the more powerful the stunner."

"Correct! Fifteen points for Gryffindor. Now, who can answer how this spell is different from the stupefying spell?"

Hermione, yet again. "The stupefying spell puts you in a limited daze. This spell will only knock a person unconscious if the caster is experiencing an intense emotion. Otherwise, the person that the spell is cast upon may only experience short periods of lightheadedness."

"Correct, again! Fifteen more points for Gryffindor. Now remember, class. The incantation is as follows. _Sparclas_!"

One by one, each student got to step up and try the spell against one another. Harry stood behind Parvati in line, and when he looked over to see who was behind Neville (who was facing off against Parvati), he saw that he would have to be up against Hermione.

"How am I going to do this?" he quickly asked Ron. "I'm trying to get her to talk to me and now I have to try to knock her out with this spell?"

"Well, you might not have to if Parvati and Neville destroy the whole classroom."

"He looks really angry," Harry whispered back to his best friend.

"This could get bad," Ron replied.

Harry turned back to watch Parvati cast the spell at Neville, a yellow beam of light shooting out from the tip of her wand. It missed Neville by several feet, almost knocking over poor Professor Flitwick. Neville didn't wait another second. "_Sparclas!_" he cried. A red beam of light that was as dark as blood blasted from the tip of Neville's wand, sizzling through the air. It was headed right for Parvati. Everyone behind Parvati backed up a few feet, just in case it missed. Harry could tell that it wasn't going to miss, and judging by the color of the beam and the look on Neville's face, it looked as if Neville had experienced a very powerful emotion. Most likely, he was still angry over his argument with Parvati.

"Harry, look out!" Ron suddenly yelled.

Harry quickly turned to see that Parvati had jumped out of the way, and the red beam was coming right at him. He tried to jump out of the way, but it came in too fast and struck Harry square in the chest, knocking him backward into a large pile of books. Harry didn't even have time to try and get back up, for the spell quickly took effect, and Harry blacked out.

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The first voice that Harry head as he slowly came to wasn't the one that he really wanted to hear. "Are you alright, Harry?" Ron asked as he helped Harry sit up.

"Ugh, why do things always have the tendency to run in to me?"

Ron laughed lightly. Harry could begin to see again as he sat up completely. He was still in the Charm's classroom, but everyone else had gone, except for Professor Flitwick and Ron.

"Do you need to go to the hospital wing at all, Potter?" Flitwick asked.

"No, Professor," Harry stammered. "I'm fine."

"Alright. Get along to your next class then."

Harry and Ron quickly left the Charm's class, heading up towards the Gryffindor common room.

"How long was I unconscious?" Harry asked.

"Only for about six minutes. Professor Flitwick had everyone else leave early before reviving you," Ron said.

"I bet Neville feels really bad."

"He wanted to stay behind to say that he was sorry, but after Hermione yelled at him, I'm sure he wanted to be left alone."

"Hermione yelled at Neville?" Harry asked, astonished.

"She did. Mainly about him being careless and that he was lucky that Professor Flitwick could revive you from unconsciousness, because the spell could be deadly if the caster is extremely angry or something along those lines. It's funny, really. For someone being so angry with you right now, she was really worried," Ron explained.

Harry stayed silent for a few minutes before opening his mouth. "Ron, could you please..."

"Harry, I'm not going to talk to her for you."

"...help me with my Arithmancy homework?" Harry finished.

"Oh. Sure. Sorry about that," Ron replied as they came up to the Portrait of the Fat Lady.

"Pumpkin juice," Harry said. The Fat Lady smiled to them before swinging open, allowing them into Gryffindor Tower.

"We've got time before lunch. Should we grab our Arithmancy homework and go to the library?" Ron asked.

"Sounds good," Harry replied as he followed Ron up the spiral staircase that led to the boys dormitory. Both boys grabbed their things before heading back down to the common room. Just as Harry was about to push open the portrait, it suddenly swung open. Hermione suddenly bounded in, a large stack of books in her arms.

"Hello, Ron." she casually said before carefully walking off, trying not to drop any of her books. She made it look easy to ignore Harry.

"For someone as smart as she is, her immaturity is really starting to amaze me," Harry said angrily as he walked with Ron down the Grand Staircase, trying to mask his hurt feelings.

Ron sighed heavily. "What's your problem?" Harry asked.

"This may sound weird coming from me, since I am usually the immature one, but you should listen to my advice. I know why she's feeling the way she is. She told me at the Three Broomsticks, down in Hogsmeade. Hermione isn't angry at you, Harry. She's depressed because you hurt her."

Harry stopped abruptly, but Ron kept walking. "How did I hurt her?" he called after Ron.

"That is something that you'll have to remember on your own."

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After finishing their Arithmancy homework and having lunch, Harry and Ron headed down to Hagrid's with the rest of the Gryffindors, and unfortunately, the Slytherins. Hagrid spent the whole class telling everyone the various creatures that he saw while he was on "vacation". They got to hear about how Hagrid barely escaped a hag and how he had avoided an almost nasty run in with the 'pleasemen' in Germany. Harry especially enjoyed the tale about the Irish dancers at a small pub in Ireland, since Harry knew that Hagrid was making all of it up to explain why he was gone. Harry, Hermione, and Ron were the only ones who knew where Hagrid really went, except for Dumbledore of course. Ron only knew because Harry sat down and explained it to him a few days after Hagrid told them.

Later that evening after dinner, Professor McGonagall came around with the list of those that were going to stay at Hogwarts over the Christmas holidays. Harry and Ron eagerly signed up. Harry also noticed that Hermione had put her name down on the list, which brightened Harry's day a little. Holiday break was an excellent time to try and talk to her, since, Harry noticed, not many other Gryffindors were staying.

"Potions is going to be a pain in the ass tomorrow," Ron groaned as he flopped down next to Harry on one of the couches that were close to the fire.

"I wonder what concoction he will come up with now," Harry said.

"Who knows. Something nasty, yet maybe even greasy," Ron laughed. Snape's dark black hair always looked like he hadn't taken a shower in years, if not in his whole life.

But surprisingly, Ron was wrong. Both Harry and Ron were greatly surprised that for their last class before the holidays, Snape was only making them take down notes on his blackboard while he graded the essays that they had just finished turning in. Snape was silent the entire time, and when the bell rang at the end of the period, he simply dismissed them with a wave of his hand.

"Do you think he's sick?" Dean Thomas asked as the Gryffindors made their way out of the freezing cold dungeons.

"If he is, let's hope he freezes to death down in the dungeons over the holidays," Ron said, causing everyone to laugh.

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Later that evening, as the students heading home for the holidays congregated in the Great Hall, Harry and Ron sat up camp in front of the blazing fire in the common room. With hopes of having a homework-free Christmas, the pair slaved over their piles of homework all afternoon until Fred and George came in to tell them that the students were heading down to the Hogsmeade Train Station.

"Got all of your Christmas shopping done, Harry?" Fred asked as he sat down next to Ron.

" I have one more person to shop for."

"Well, you better hurry, mate, because Christmas is just a few days away," George commented with a wink.

Suddenly, as if a light went on in Harry's mind, he sprang up from his chair, knocking over a pile of books as he ran up the spiral staircase to his dormitory. "Where are you going?" Ron called after him. A moment later, Harry returned with his wand in his right hand, a winter cloak in the left.

"I'll be back as soon as possible," he stammered before pushing open the portrait and stepping out. It closed behind him and Harry was happy to see that none of them made a move to follow him.

Harry fastened his cloak on as he stepped through the main doors of Hogwarts and out on to the cold grounds. The wind howled with fury as the snow continued to fall. From time to time, Harry had to use the Lumos spell to make sure he was going the right way, because the darkness of night was not helping him see better. With the bitter cold and low visibility, Harry felt like he would freeze to death out on the grounds before reaching Hogsmeade. But he was soon there, walking through the streets, where the buildings shielded him from the wind. Many of the shops were already closed, and Harry was greatly disappointed when he reached Gladrag's Wizardwear to see that the lamps were out.

"Dammit," Harry muttered. Though disappointed, Harry needed to get inside the shop. After carefully looking around, and seeing that the street was empty, Harry quickly tapped the doorknob to Gladrag's. "_Alohamora_," he whispered, and the door silently opened. Harry quickly slipped in, shutting the door behind himself.

"_Lumos_," Harry said once inside. A beam of light emanated from the tip of his wand, illuminating wherever he pointed his wand. Harry maneuvered slowly through the store, trying to avoid knocking anything over until he reached his destination: the jewelry cabinet. The ring that Harry recognized as the one that Hermione liked glimmered in the wand light. He spent several minutes looking at the case, but he didn't find a lock. Finding no other way to open it, Harry carefully aimed his elbow and swung down. The glass shattered, shards falling on to the jewelry below. Harry quickly grabbed the sapphire ring before dropping a small bag of money on to the place where the ring was. The money amount was exact. Harry quickly placed the ring in a small gift box before slipping it into his pocket.

"_Reparo_!" Harry muttered, pointing his wand at the glass case. The shards instantly sprang back into place, making it look like no one had broken in to it. Harry made sure that the door was locked before quickly exiting and disappearing into the snowy darkness, heading back towards the castle. Although the wind had calmed down considerably, the snow raged on. With so much snow, Harry was greatly looking forward to a few snow fights that might ensue with the Weasley twins. Maybe even Hermione would join in, if she started to talk to Harry again. Harry hoped she would, and in a way believed that she would, especially after getting her Christmas present from him.

Ron was still seated in front of the fire when Harry returned through the portrait hole, but it appeared that Fred and George had gone up to bed. "You've been gone for nearly an hour. What were you doing?" Ron asked. Harry answered his best friend's question by pulling the small gift box out of his pocket and showing him the ring. "Holy crap, Harry. Where did you get that?"

"Down at Gladrag's Wizardwear," Harry replied.

"But all of the Hogsmeade shops should have been closed by now."

"Well, they were closed," Harry said as he slid his wand into his pocket.

"Harry, you didn't!"

"I did."

Ron laughed lightly. "You're lucky that you didn't get caught. Did you pay for it?"

"Of course I did. I'm not a thief, Ron," Harry replied.

"Well, if you paid for it, then I guess it's okay."

"Do you think that Hermione will like it?" Harry asked.

"If she doesn't, then I would be extremely surprised. And if that doesn't get her to talk to you again after what you did with Cho, I will personally jinx her until she does."

"What did you just say?" Harry asked, surprised.

"Nothing."

"Don't give me that. You said something about Cho and I doing something." The it finally hit Harry. "Hermione saw that?" he asked, astonished.

"Yes, she did. That's why she is so miserable. Hermione thought that you had feelings for her," Ron explained.

"But I did, and I still do."

"Well, I would suggest that you go talk to her, but she's busy doing homework in her dormitory, and she might hex you if you go up there," Ron explained.

"Alright. I think I will try to catch her in the morning."

"Good idea, Harry."

"Ron."

"What?"

"Nothing happened between Cho and me."

"Tell Hermione that."

"I will."

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Unfortunately, Harry couldn't find her all Saturday morning. In fact, he couldn't find her all day. Harry had looked all over the castle, including the library, the girl's dormitory, and even the kitchens. He had even sent Hedwig down to Hagrid's hut to check there, but Hermione wasn't there either.

"This is ridiculous," Harry said Sunday morning. "Is she deliberately hiding from me or is she just so busy that I can never catch her?"

"Don't feel bad. I haven't seen her either," Ron offered.

"If I don't get to talk to her soon, I'm going to go crazy."

"Why don't you write her a letter? You could put it on her bed with your present tonight. After all, tomorrow is Christmas Eve. She can spend a whole day wondering what your gift is," Ron explained.

"That's an excellent idea, Ron," Harry said as he grabbed a roll of parchment, a bottle of ink, and a quill from his bag.

Just as Harry sat down, he quickly looked back to Ron. "What did Hermione tell you about what she saw?"

"She said that she went to find you in the alley when she saw that you and Cho were about to kiss," Ron replied before his eyes suddenly widened. "Don't tell her that I told you."

"Well, that's great," Harry said sarcastically. "I didn't kiss her. She was trying to kiss me, and I said no."

"And Hermione thinks that you kissed her."

Harry sighed heavily as he moved his chair closer to the fire. Dipping the quill into the bottle of ink, Harry began to write on the parchment.

_Dear Hermione,_

_There has been a big misunderstanding between us. I figured out, finally, why you won't talk to me. (Took me long enough, right?) That day in Hogsmeade, what you saw was not what happened. Please don't get angry at Ron for letting it slip. Cho did make a move to kiss me, but I told her no. I turned her down. You must have seen her moving towards me before going back to the Three Broomsticks. There are two reasons for me not kissing Cho. The first is because I don't have any feelings for her, despite my slight obsession and jealousy last year. The second is because I have those feelings for you. What I feel for you, I have never felt before. Please, talk to me again as soon as you open your gift._

_Harry_

After carefully folding the parchment and sliding it into an envelope, Harry wrote "To Be Opened on Christmas" upon the front.

"Done?" Ron asked.

Harry nodded as he crossed the common room to the spiral staircase that lead up to the girls dormitory. After making sure that the room was empty, Harry quickly placed the letter and gift on Hermione's bed before running back down to the common room.

Ron was down on the floor, petting Crookshanks when Harry sat back down by the fire. "What do you want to do tomorrow?" Harry asked.

"I think Katie wanted to have Quidditch practice. She somehow convinced the whole Quidditch team to stay for the holidays so we could practice."

"Sounds good, as long as their isn't any practice on Christmas," Harry replied.

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Early the next morning, Christmas morning to be exact, the Weasley twins dragged Harry and Ron out of bed around dawn, and told them to dress warmly. They anted them to meet them down on the snow covered grounds.

"What did they have to wake us up so early for?" Ron asked groggily as they walked out on to the grounds. "Quidditch practice isn't until this afternoon." His question was quickly answered when a round ball of snow collided with Ron's face, causing him to fall backward and into the deep snow. Harry had to hold on to a small bush to keep himself from falling over with laughter.

"That's not funny!" Ron roared as he pulled out his want. Seconds later, another snowball came flying towards them, but Ron blasted it to smithereens with his wand.

"Where are they at?" Harry asked quickly before getting hit in the back of the head by a snowball. Ron turned to defend his back, but Fred and George had them surrounded by floating snowballs. The twins suddenly burst forth from behind a tree, charging toward Harry and Ron with many snowballs following. A massive snowball fight ensued, just like Harry hoped one would. And once it was over, the four of them collapsed in the common room in front of the fire. Somehow, they made it down to the Great Hall for lunch, and Harry finally saw Hermione for the first time since their Friday Potions class. She was sitting not too far from them, talking to Ginny intently. He watched her, wishing he was sitting there instead of Ginny.

"How does a five o'clock practice sound, Harry?" Katie Bell asked suddenly.

"Huh?"

"I asked how a five o'clock practice sounded, Harry," she repeated irritably.

"Um...it sounds fine."

"You need to pay more attention, Harry. You're our only Seeker, and if you're not paying attention during a match, you could get clobbered by a bludger, again!" Katie exclaimed before walking off.

As soon as Katie was out of earshot, Fred spoke up. "Did anyone inform her that we aren't playing Quidditch right now?"

"Yeah, she's almost getting to be as bad as Wood was. Trying to live up to his rep, I guess," George added.

Harry silently agreed. Oliver Wood, their former Quidditch captain, was strict, but it helped them win more often. So, naturally, if Katie was just a strict, Harry wouldn't complain as long as they always won, which depended on him catching the Golden Snitch.

Once Harry was done eating lunch, he and Ron slowly got up, intent on heading back up to the common room. He looked over at Hermione quickly, and was surprised. She was looking back at him, and she even smiled warmly. Harry smiled back before leaving the Great Hall. They messed around in the common room, playing Wizard's Chess and Gobstones until it got close to 4:30 in the afternoon. At that time, Harry and Ron dressed in their Quidditch robes and grabbed their broomsticks before heading down towards the Quidditch pitch. Once they reached the school grounds, however, they flew the rest of the way. Harry's teeth began to chatter as they arrived inside the pitch. A light snow was falling, but there was no harsh wind.

Katie was already there, flying about with Ginny, Alicia, and the Weasley twins. They immediately began to practice. All three Chasers tried to score against Ron, while Fred and George tried to keep the bludgers at bay. Harry, meanwhile, zoomed back and forth across the pitch, catching the Snitch every so often before releasing it again. At one point, Harry thought he glimpsed Hagrid heading down towards Hogsmeade. He remembered that Hagrid had to pick up some items for their next class, and went back after the Snitch when it flew right past his face.

Harry was so concentrated and intent on catching the Snitch for the next hour of practice that he barely noticed an earsplitting scream that sounded like it had come from far away. He looked about suddenly as he stopped flying. Was someone hurt? He had heard the screaming, so maybe a Dementor could be near? A quick scan of the Quidditch pitch confirmed that his idea of a Dementor being once again on Hogwart's grounds was preposterous. Looking around, Harry could also see that the rest of the Quidditch team had stopped flying. Harry flew down towards them with haste.

"Did you hear someone scream?" Ginny asked as Harry joined them.

Harry nodded his head as everyone strained their ears to listen.

Seconds later, there was screaming again, but this time is was not just one voice. Several voices were now screaming. Harry looked frantically about, trying to see where the screams were coming from until something caught his eye. Something strange was going on down in the little village of Hogsmeade. As Harry began to fly forward, he almost felt like he had been at this exact moment in time before. It felt like something was drawing him towards Hogsmeade, and nothing he could do was going to stop him from moving. Indeed, Harry's mind screamed for him to stop flying, but his body pushed his broomstick on as he flew out of the Quidditch pitch and down towards Hogsmeade.

"Harry, where are you going?" Katie called after him. When Harry didn't respond, the whole team began to follow him.

As Harry got closer, the screams of terror grew louder. Whatever was causing such a scare was obviously still there, and it became very clear to Harry when he flew down over the train station. Standing outside of a small inn called the Hog's Head was a large circle of people, completely clothed in black robes and masks to cover their faces. Deatheaters were surrounding the entrance, keeping anyone from entering. Just as Harry's feet touched the ground after hopping off of his Firebolt, bright green light flashed from inside the inn. The door to the inn suddenly opened, and the Deatheaters rejoiced with laughter. One by one, they disapparated until only one person remained: Voldemort.

The look on Voldemort's face was of pure anger, yet it changed to immediate surprise on his eyes fell upon Harry. Harry's scar suddenly prickled with pain that was so intense, he collapsed to the snow, dropping his Firebolt as he clutched his forehead. Voldemort laughed out loud as Harry fell to the snow.

"_Morsemodre_!" Voldemort cried. The Dark Mark that Harry had seen only once before shot up into the air and hovered above the Hog's Head. Harry tried to get up, but the pain was so intense that he could barely even manage to get up on to his knees. The snow crunched underneath Voldemort's feet as he strolled over to Harry. His cold, murderous laughter only made the pain that Harry was experiencing worse. "Soon, Potter. Soon." The pain ended once the Dark Lord disapparated. Harry slowly regained his composure as he stood back up. His Quidditch robes were soaked from the wet snow.

The rest of the Quidditch team landed as Harry got back to his feet, and only Ron moved forward and grabbed Harry's arm. "Don't, Harry," Ron pleaded softly.

But Harry stepped forward, as if Ron wasn't even there. He slowly walked towards the Hog's Head, moving towards the window display. The glass was shattered, and the Dark Mark still hovered above the building. Harry knew that somewhere inside of the Hog's Head, someone that must have posed a threat to Voldemort. Harry's curiosity was answered as he looked in through the window, the body laying on the floor by the bar. His breath was caught in his chest, and his heart was shattered to pieces.

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Author's Comments: Thank you for being patient, to all of you faithful readers. I'm sorry that I haven't posted a new chapter in a long time, but I have been incredibly busy. However, I have gotten back into the writing spirit, and plan on cranking out many more chapters.


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